GEAS Lecture: Dong-Hoon Seol (Jeonbuk University): Immigration Reform in South Korea at a Time of Demographic Decline – In Comparative Perspective with Germany
Venue:
Lecture Hall 010/011, Grad School Villa, GEAS, Freie Universität Berlin, Hittorfstr. 18, 14195 Berlin
About the Lecture:
South Korea’s total population has been declining since its peak in November 2019. Despite the population decline, the labor shortage is not yet severe due to the changes in industrial technology, industrial structure, and economic activity participation patterns. Currently, South Korea’s labour shortage is sufficiently covered by the introduction of foreign workers through the Employment Permit Program for Foreigners based on the rotation principle. However, with population aging and one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, this approach will have its limits. Against this backdrop, there have been widespread attempts to reform immigration policy in South Korea. In this presentation, I will provide an account of the immigration reform debate in South Korea from a comparative perspective between Germany and South Korea.
