Seoul city govt. to launch 3rd foreign residents council

The Seoul city government plans to launch a new council of foreign residents Tuesday as part of efforts to improve their quality of life here.

The council, the third of its kind, will comprise 30 residents aged 18 or older from 20 countries, including the United States, France, Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia, the city government said in a press release. China accounts for the largest number with five members.

The city government said it selected the members based on nationality, type of stay and other criteria from a pool of people who have lived in South Korea for over a year and in Seoul for more than 90 days.

"We have had a foreign residents council to ensure the lives of some 460,000 foreigners (in the city) are comfortable by listening to their opinions and reflecting them in our policies," Song Da-young, a senior official who oversees the city's women and family-related policies, said.

The council plans to create subcommittees to handle various agendas and make policy recommendations to the city government.

Previous editions of the council, which was first created in 2015, contributed to making policies on providing financial support to the families of deceased foreign construction workers and language education to children of marriage immigrants, according to the city government. (Yonhap)