Seven in 10 Refugees in Gyeonggi Province Say They Need "Livelihood and Housing Support"

First-ever survey by a metropolitan local government... 156 surveyed and 19 interviewed in depth
82.6% of those in the residency crisis category "could not visit a hospital when needed"

Seven out of 10 refugees living in Gyeonggi Province need support with their livelihoods and housing. The survey also found significant differences in access to medical care and employment conditions depending on their residence status.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 30th the results of its "Refugee Status Monitoring Survey," the first of its kind conducted by a metropolitan-level local government. Courtesy of Gyeonggi Province.

Gyeonggi Province announced on October 30 the results of its "Refugee Status Monitoring Survey," the first of its kind conducted by a metropolitan local government. The survey was conducted under the Gyeonggi Province Ordinance on the Protection of Refugees' Human Rights and Guarantee of Basic Living Conditions. It involved a questionnaire survey of 156 refugees aged 15 or older living in the province from August to October, as well as in-depth interviews with 19 people, including refugees and frontline workers.

Livelihood and housing support was the most-needed area, cited by 71.8% of respondents. Employment and self-reliance support followed at 60.4%. Notably, all 23 respondents classified in the survey as being in a "residency crisis" said they had experienced financial difficulties over the past year. In-depth interviews also confirmed recurring hardship caused by unstable employment and insufficient income.

There were also significant disparities in access to medical care. Among respondents classified as having "stable residency," 17.8% said they had been unable to visit a hospital when they needed to, compared with 82.6% of those in the residency crisis category. In that category, 91.3% said they had experienced sadness or despair lasting at least two weeks.

Respondents also faced difficulties accessing support services and information. Among respondents from areas with large immigrant and refugee populations, 41.3% had never used refugee support services, and 65.1% had difficulty obtaining relevant information. Overall, 60.4% of respondents said they needed legal counseling but had not received it.

Challenges were also identified in the daily lives and education of unaccompanied minor refugees, as well as the lack of information about further education for children in refugee families.

Based on the survey results, the province plans to review policy needs in each area and the operation of existing programs, and to develop measures for sharing information and connecting services among cities and counties and relevant agencies.

Kim Seong-hwan, head of Gyeonggi Province's Immigration and Multicultural Society Support Division, said, "We plan to use the survey results as baseline data to review policy needs in each area and the operation of existing programs, and to develop measures for sharing information and connecting services among cities and counties and relevant agencies." He added, "We will distinguish between issues that can be addressed at the local government level and those requiring institutional improvements by the central government, and seek a reasonable direction for implementing policies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.