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Seoul – To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), IOM ROK has launched the #Nice2MeetUKorea campaign. The campaign – running from 8 December, culminating on 18 December, which is International Migrants’ Day – sends a message of hospitality while illuminating various migrants’ lives in Korea.

Starting with the release of the campaign video on 8 December, the mini-interview video series containing the voices of various migrants will follow every day from 9 to 16 December.

The interviews feature eight different people’s voices from 7 different countries discussing why they migrated, the gap between their expectations and realities, living as migrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and their messages to Korean citizens.

A discussion video on the topic of ‘Living as a Migrant in Korea’ will be released on 17 December. Moderated by Dr. Kim SaGang from Migration & Human Rights Institute in Korea, four panelists from four different countries joined: Anna Rihlmann from Germany, Gennie Kim from Philippines, Carlos Gorito from Brazil, and Sujan Shakya from Nepal. Mr. Gorito and Mr. Shakya are well-known migrants who frequently appear in Korean TV programmes. The issues for discussion range from work and life in Korea; prejudice and misperceptions about foreigners; Korea’s multicultural awareness; and tasks and challenges toward a more inclusive society. The panelists’ variety of personal episodes spiced up the discussion.

The campaign particularly draws attention to the fact that IOM ROK collaborated with various partners both in and out of the country. The ‘Living as a Migrant in Korea’ video was produced in collaboration with Kakao Impact, a social foundation of Korea’s leading tech company Kakao Corp. Undergraduate students from Seokyeong University in Korea collaborated in filming and editing the mini-interview series, while three companies based in Brazil – The Youth Project, Toro Audio Studio, and F.Boreiko Design – participated pro bono to produce design assets and introductory video for the campaign.   

“We have prepared this campaign to convey a message of hospitality by illuminating various voices of migrants who have been living with us but not recognized enough,” said Steven Hamilton, the Chief of IOM ROK mission. He added, “The campaign is even more meaningful when migrants’ contribution to Korean society becomes highlighted in industries with a high proportion of foreign workers, such as manufacturing, agriculture, and construction, although discrimination and stigmatization against migrants during the Pandemic still looms.”    

Additionally, on Dec. 10th, IOM ROK will host a Seoul Town Meeting titled “Seoul in the World, the World in Seoul” jointly with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Migration Research & Training Center (MRTC). The meeting will be attended by limited number of migrants living in Seoul to observe social distancing measures and be livestreamed via YouTube.

You can check all the videos and other campaign news on IOM ROK’s social media accounts – Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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For more information, please contact Nari Shim, Policy and Communications Officer or Cesar Henrique Noda, Communications Consultant at IOM Republic of Korea Mission. Tel.: +82 70 4820 2648, Email: nshim@iom.int, hnoda@iom.int