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ABSTRACT
The purposes of this paper are twofold: the first being to recognize the enormous influence Dr. Stephen Castles has had on migration studies in South Korea, and the second being the exploration of the interaction between social transformation and migration in Korea. The role played by Dr. Castles in the organization of a research network on immigration in Korea, the activities of this research network, and its eventual expansion into a pivotal research association are highlighted. The second aspect of this paper relates to the application of one of Dr. Castles' principle themes to the Korean case. This section focuses on the interaction between social transformation and migration, which Dr. Castles and his research team had previously explored at a local level, with the novelty of this study being the focus on the national perspective. In so doing, the trends of immigration and policy change in Korea are explored. In particular, whether Korea’s immigration policy is ethno-centric and/or multicultural are examined, and the importance of trigger and resonance, with a certain affinity at each stage over the past several decades, are brought to the fore.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes on contributor
Hye-Kyung Lee is Professor at the department of Public Policy, Pai Chai University, South Korea. Since she got her Ph.D. degree in Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1988, she has published many papers on migration and transnational communities, gender and work. She was a coordinator of the Korea Migration Research Network (KMRN) from 2000 to 2003. Since then, she has served as an advisory committee member for the Korean National Statistical Office, the Ministry of Gender Equality & Family, the Ministry of Labor, the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, and the Immigration Policy Commission. She was the President of Korean International Migration Studies Association (KIMSA) from January 2009 to December 2010. Currently, she is the President of the Population Association of Korea from January 2018 to December 2019.
Notes
1. Dr. Seol, Dong Hoon, a member of both KMRN and KIMSA, wrote this in his letter for the honor of Professor Castles’ festschrift in March 2017.
2. For a literature review on previous research, see Lee (Citation2011, Citation2014).
3. APMRN participating countries were: (1) East Asia (South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan (unofficial member), Mongolia), (2) Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand), (3) South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka) (4) The Pacific Coast (Australia, New Zealand, Fiji).
4. In order for a more detailed analysis of , see Lee (Citation2014: 150–151).
5. The age limit was 55 years old in 1992, rising to 60 years, then decreasing to 55 years in 1998 and 45 years in 2002 (Hong Citation2000). Finally, it became 25 years old in 2007.
6. The term ‘mixed-blood children’ in Korea refers to children of Korean mothers and American soldier fathers, and has been used since the Korean War. This group has faced serious discrimination in Korea.
7. Consequently, the Ministry of Health and Welfare planned to integrate poor foreign wives and their families into the social security program from January 2007.
8. The Ministry of Gender Equality took over child care and family services from the Ministry of Health and Welfare in June 2004. In June 2005, the Ministry of Gender Equality changed its name to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to expand its services further.
10. In order to see a more detailed explanation of this issue, see Lee (Citation2010).