The Evolution of Korean Foreign Labor Policies in the Global Context: Toward the Politics of Societal (In)Security?

Abstract

This article attempts to explore the evolution of Korean foreign labor policies over the last 20 years through the interplay of three national goals: economic interest, human rights concern, and national/cultural identity preservation. Placing the Korean experience in a comparative framework with particular attention to the issue of national/cultural identity preservation, this article asks two interrelated questions: (1) Did/does the politics of societal (in)security exist in Korea? (2) If so, what have the Korean government's responses to this challenge been? Were/are they similar to or different from those of advanced states? Reflective of the so-called "convergence" hypothesis observed by Cornelius and Tsuda, the second question particularly aims at explicating the Korean government's macro and/or micro immigration policies related to societal (in)security from a comparative perspective. This article introduces specific, testable hypotheses (regarding governmental policies toward societal (in)security) and demonstrates that, although the politics of societal (in)security is relatively nascent and emerging, a significant degree of congruence is observed between the Korean government's policies and those of advanced states.