A new state-run agency for overseas Koreans, which will be launched next month, will be headquartered in the western port city of Incheon, the government announced, Monday.

Seoul, which was the rival city for the location of the agency, will instead be home to an auxiliary centre to provide better access to people in the capital seeking the agency’s administrative services.

“Considering the convenience, accessibility, regional development and consistency in administrative structure, the agency will be headquartered in Incheon and the civil service centre in Gwanghwamun in central Seoul,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk said during a press briefing at the ministry in Seoul.

Although the exact locations have yet to be confirmed, the ministry plans to provide overseas Koreans with accessibility by establishing the Incheon headquarters as close as possible to Incheon International Airport and set up the Seoul centre in Gwanghwamun, where the foreign ministry and several foreign embassies are located.

Once operations commence on June 5, the agency will replace the Overseas Koreans Foundation headquartered on Jeju Island and be available for service to 7.5 million Koreans living overseas. One hundred and fifty-one public officials will handle affairs regarding nationality, visas, military service and pension entitlements, under the wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The announcement came after the foreign ministry and the ruling People Power Party held several meetings to decide on the agency’s location, which was narrowed down to Seoul and Incheon among various municipalities, last week.

Establishing a government agency supporting overseas Koreans and strengthening the national identity of the Korean diaspora have been one of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s campaign pledges.

During his six-day state visit to the US last month, Yoon introduced the government’s plan to launch the new state-run agency for overseas Koreans, during a dinner with around 170 Korean Americans at a hotel in Washington, D.C.

“The government will develop the network of 7.5 million Koreans around the world, led by the agency for overseas Koreans, both in quality and quantity, and more closely connect all of you with your homeland,” he said on April 24.

On April 27, the National Assembly passed a relevant bill to stipulate the purpose and legal basis of the soon-to-be-established agency.

Korean lawmakers attempted to legislate a similar law to serve overseas Koreans in the previous 19th and 20th National Assembly terms, but the proposals expired after sitting on the back burner.

The passed bill also proclaims October 5 as World Korean Day and sets the first nine days of October as World Korean Week, which includes National Foundation Day (October 3) and Hangeul Day (October 9), aiming to strengthen the bond between overseas Koreans and their homeland.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/05/113_350576.html

Category: Korea