제천시, 고려인 이주정착 지원사업 신규 접수 중단…395명 중 해외 직접 유입 64명

Translation

The city of 제천 in 충북 has recently stopped accepting new applications under its 'resettlement support scheme for Koryo-saram and other overseas Koreans'. Through the scheme, a total of 395 Koryo-saram had settled in 제천 by the start of this month. However, a review of the scheme's results by the transition committee of the incoming ninth elected mayor found that only 22 households, 64 people, had come to 제천 directly from abroad. The roughly 720 Koryo-saram who have already applied to move are being processed only for applications already received, and the scheme has cost about 1.6 billion won a year. The city is gradually scaling back the special support that had been concentrated on Koryo-saram, such as childcare and medical costs, and intends to reshape its policy on foreigners from a population policy that brings in one particular group into an industry-and-settlement policy that eases the labour shortage at local industrial estates and companies. As of March, 4,031 foreigners were living in 제천, a number that has been rising steadily.