Home > National > Social Affairs

Gyeonggi passes local laws to ban racial discrimination, ensure refugee rights, recognize undocumented children

Published: 22 Sep. 2025, 16:22 Updated: 22 Sep. 2025, 19:47

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi [GYEONGGI PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT]

Gyeonggi has enacted three local ordinances that ban racial discrimination, institutionally guarantee the rights of refugee applicants and help undocumented children of foreign nationals — a first for any government in Korea, central or local.

The Gyeonggi provincial council passed the ordinances last Friday, the provincial government said Monday.

The racial discrimination ordinance mandates equality regardless of skin color, country of origin, language or cultural background, and calls for public education campaigns, regular surveys and grievance relief procedures. It also obligates the establishment of a committee and a master plan to ensure the sustainability of these efforts.

The refugee rights ordinance provides the legal basis for Gyeonggi to support refugees in accessing housing, education, medical care and employment, including asylum-seekers and those with humanitarian stay permits. It also allows the province to establish an advisory committee on refugee policy and provide emergency living expenses, medical and psychological counseling, and support for employment and entrepreneurship.

The ordinance on undocumented foreign children establishes a formal process to identify children born in Korea to undocumented parents and issue official confirmation of their existence, allowing access to health care, child care and education. It also lays the groundwork for cooperation among administrative, educational and welfare institutions.

Following the promulgation of the ordinances, Gyeonggi plans to swiftly implement follow-up measures. It will host a forum at the National Assembly to promote the new ordinances and explore how to expand similar institutional guarantees nationwide to support migrant communities and social integration, on Oct. 28.

“These ordinances are more than just institutional measures — they are a social commitment to ensuring that both residents and migrants can live without discrimination,” said Huh Young-gil, director of Gyeonggi’s immigration policy division. “We will act quickly to implement them and lead the way in migrant policy.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEON ICK-JIN [[email protected]]