Immigrant groups demand rights as residents, not just workers ahead of local polls

“Migrant rights groups called on politicians to drastically expand social rights and protections for more than 2.8 million migrants living in Korea, accusing policymakers of treating them as workers but not as residents, neighbors or — where eligible — voters. At a press conference in Seoul ahead of the June 3 local elections, representatives of the groups said everyone who lives and works in the country should be guaranteed equal access to welfare and public services, including health care and education, regardless of nationality. They claimed both central and local governments build their economies on migrant labor while systematically excluding migrants from tax-funded benefits. They called on candidates to present concrete pledges to remove legal and institutional discrimination, strengthen local migrant support systems and embrace migrants — including undocumented workers and children — as members of society whose rights must be protected. “This election will decide our region’s future — and migrant workers must be part of it,” said Udaya Rai, head of the Migrants’

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