▲ 2024 Chungcheongnam-do Multicultural Policy Council Meeting

On the 10th, Chungcheongnam-do Province held the 'Chungcheongnam-do Multicultural Policy Council' in the main conference room of the provincial office to discuss the operational plan for multicultural family support policies for next year.

The meeting was attended by about 20 members of the provincial multicultural policy council, including provincial council members, academic and field experts, officials from the provincial police agency and education office, and provincial government officials. The meeting proceeded in the order of presenting appointment letters to the 6th term committee members, reporting on implementation performance and support policies for next year, and discussing development plans.

At the meeting, they shared the major achievements of this year's multicultural policy, including: △The Chungnam Foreign Residents Integrated Support Call Center supports 16 languages, handling about 58,000 cases of interpretation, translation, legal, and medical consultations as of the end of October △The multicultural specialization project supports early settlement in Korean society by alleviating language barriers, which are difficulties for multicultural families, through visiting language education and creating bilingual family environments △Supporting multicultural children to grow as future talents by resolving learning gaps through basic learning support, career planning, and support for educational activity expenses △Achieving significant effects in economic independence of marriage immigrants through employment and start-up support projects, and integration into local communities as members of our society through mutual cultural understanding education and activation of self-help groups △Operating exchanges to enhance multicultural acceptance through the operation of multicultural Daulim site and interpretation and translation activities △Operating shelters for foreign workers and providing counseling activities.

Key policies to be focused on next year include △interpretation and translation services △visiting education △language development support △support for children of multicultural families △bilingual education support △creation of Chungnam Foreign Town for foreign residents △operation of Chungnam Foreign Residents Integrated Support Call Center △operation of shelters for foreign workers △support for foreign workers' counseling activities.

In particular, in response to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's survey indicating an increase in the proportion of long-term multicultural family residents and school-age children, and the persistently low level of multicultural acceptance, the province presented strengthened phased settlement support projects and programs for children of multicultural families as major policies.

Additionally, as a collaborative project between the province and the provincial education office, additional budget has been secured for language development of multicultural family children, with plans to expand support programs targeting infants to lower elementary school grades.

A provincial official stated, "As of November last year, there were 65,122 multicultural family members in the province, accounting for 2.9% of the total population, and this number is increasing every year." They added, "Through this council, we will seek and implement systematic support measures for multicultural families residing in various forms within the province."

Responsible Department: Foreign Policy Division, Multicultural Support Team

Phone Number: 041-635-4993