Photo: Gyeonggi-do Province office in Suwon. Credit: Gyeonggi-do Province.
On September 19, the Gyeonggi-do Province legislature 경기도 도의회 passed three bills guaranteeing the rights of immigrants, refugees, and undocumented children. Dubbed the ‘Migrant Bill of Rights’ 이주민 인권 조례, the bills are South Korea's first to legally guarantee the human rights of residents of non-Korean origin.
The bills prohibit discrimination based on race, skin color, country of origin, language or cultural background. The bill establishes the legal basis for providing governmental assistance to migrants and refugees for shelter, education, medical care and employment, and streamlines the government registration process for undocumented children.
