A total of 3.5 billion won earmarked for 17 projects

With the number of foreign spouses and foreign workers on the rise, Seoul has 36,532 people who are members of multicultural families – the second largest concentration of such families in the country. Chinese make up the vast majority at 28,175 persons followed by people from Taiwan, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States, and Russia. However, the society has not kept pace with the growing number of multicultural families, subsequently making their lives in Seoul difficult.

In a Seoul Metropolitan Government survey, foreign spouses cited language as the most difficult problem. This was followed by economic difficulties, difficulties understanding Korean culture, problems with children, prejudices and discriminations against foreigners, employment and workplace issues. To improve the conditions faced by multicultural families, the city announced its “One Family Plan” on Aug. 6. The plan is notable for its programs tailored to meet different needs.

Seoul Metropolitan Government will operate an international marriage preparation school. The program is aimed at better preparing partners in international marriages so as to stem the increasing number of divorces among international couples. The program offers classes for men preparing to marry foreigners. The 80-men class will meet four times for a total of 20 hours. Those who complete the program will receive 1 million won assistance toward wedding expenses.

Special Korean language classes will be held to resolve communications difficulties. The classes offered will be expanded from the current elementary and intermediate levels to advanced level and employment preparation level for those who wish to pursue studies or find jobs.

Specialized job training programs aim to address the economic difficulties of multicultural families. Women’s manpower development centers will offer job aptitude tests, counseling and tailored job training for female spouses in international marriages who have at least intermediate level Korean.

A unique program called “Loving Mom” is designed to offer assistance to new mothers and to take care of the newborns. Foreign spouses who normally have children in the first or second year of their stay in Korea -- when they have not fully adjusted to life here -- have great difficulties after childbirth and in taking care of infants. To ease these problems, the city will foster and support women providing post-natal care and offer assistance in paying for babies’ caretakers.

Eunpyeong Hospital will offer free consultations and treatments on Fridays through its mental health clinic. Migrant Women Self-support Assistance Center will be established in conjunction with the Ministry of Gender Equality. The center will offer housing and meals to migrant women who are victims of domestic violence. The center will also provide job training, job search assistance, support for accompanying children and Korean language training. The services are aimed at strengthening the social safety net.

Rainbow Forum, composed of 50 foreign spouses, will provide monitoring of multicultural family policies as well as offer policy suggestions. Women’s Initiative for Safer Environment (WISE), made up of 200 foreign spouses, will measure safety, convenience and the degree of multiculturalism of life in Seoul. The group will also offer proposals for making improvements and also participate in instituting those improvements.