[Special] Ansan aims to become South Korea's multicultural hub, heart of immigration policy

Located southwest of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, Ansan is notable for its cultural diversity.

As South Korea's first planned industrial city, it features large complexes like the Banwol National Industrial Complex, which offer numerous job opportunities and attract foreign workers.

With 14 percent of its population originating from 118 countries, Ansan boasts the highest proportion of foreign residents in the country, contributing to a culturally diverse community, according to its Mayor Lee Min-geun.

The city has been vigorously campaigning to secure the establishment of a new immigration agency in the region. Lee emphasized Ansan’s unique characteristics, such as its status as a multicultural city with a significant foreign population and extensive support services for them, saying it was the ideal location for the new agency to oversee South Korea's immigration policy.

“Ansan is uniquely positioned to lead Korea’s immigration policy. Home to 101,850 foreign residents as of last year, Ansan is at the forefront of innovative support for its multicultural population,” Lee said.

With approximately 82 percent of Wongok-dong’s residents being foreign nationals as of last year, the area has been designated as a special multicultural zone by the city since 2009.

The city's Foreign Resident Administration Town was established in Wongok-dong, providing a range of services including Korean language education, interpretation assistance, counseling, medical and legal services, cultural and sports activities, as well as education and employment counseling to foreign nationals nationwide. The facility served over 217,018 foreign nationals in 2022.

“Due to this comprehensive administrative support infrastructure, Ansan is regarded as the administrative capital by many foreign nationals. Much like the domestic population gravitates toward the metropolitan area for better jobs, administration, and cultural services, foreign nationals are drawn to Ansan,” Lee said.

The city also hosts the Ansan Multicultural Immigrant Plus Center. This center streamlines processes for residence and work permits, providing essential services to foreign residents. In 2022 alone, it assisted nearly 48,697 visitors. Another example is its operation of the Ansan Multicultural Family Support Center. Since 2008, this center has supported 46,391 people with programs designed to assist both domestic and foreign residents.

“We lead in innovative policy implementation, such as being the first to offer child care subsidies for foreign children starting 2018,” Lee noted, underscoring Ansan’s leadership in national immigration policy.

This commitment is also evident in the city’s investment in support infrastructure for foreign residents, according to Lee. Last year alone, Ansan independently allocated 13.4 billion won ($10 million) to enhance its immigration policies and services.

Lee said the city's commitment to fostering a multicultural society has gained international recognition. In 2020, the Council of Europe ranked Ansan fourth worldwide for cultural receptiveness, following Oslo, Copenhagen and Dublin.

The city has been actively campaigning to establish the proposed new immigration agency.

Ansan has reached out to 118 embassies across Korea, seeking cooperation and support. In November 2023, the city submitted a detailed proposal to the Ministry of Justice, outlining its strengths and plans to attract the immigration agency.

Additionally, Ansan has announced agreements with local universities to offer their sites and buildings as potential government facilities, demonstrating its readiness and strategic planning for the agency’s integration.

Reflecting on recent efforts, Lee described Ansan’s campaign to host the immigration agency as deeply rooted in community involvement.

“Citizens are making voluntary efforts by engaging outreach campaigns and hosting festival-like events to attract the agency,” he said.

“Ansan’s comprehensive foreign policy infrastructure and vast experience will not only benefit the new immigration agency but will also catalyze greater integration between domestic and foreign residents. Ansan is the optimal city for the immigration agency."