[Robert Koehler on Talking Points] E-2 regulations draw fierce debate

Say what you want about the new E-2 visa regulations for foreign English teachers looking to teach in Korea; at least they`ve got people talking.

From online forums to personal blogs to an unending stream of commentary in the editorial pages of Korea`s English-language newspapers, the Ministry of Justice`s new regulations -- which require prospective teachers to submit their criminal background checks and medical exams -- have had that segment of Korea`s expatriate population otherwise known as woneomin gangsa (native-speaker teachers) up in arms about what they see as racism and xenophobia. On the other side, the vernacular press has for some time been running (arguably sensationalist) reports of "foreign teachers acting badly," including a recent report of a massive drug bust involving an apparently industrious group of foreigners (including English teachers) growing and selling their own marijuana. These reports have fueled public sentiment that the Ministry of Justice should do something to prevent drunkards, child molesters, document forgers and potheads from coming to Korea to commit crimes and otherwise upset the nation`s social order.

In one particularly interesting report on the aforementioned drug bust, for instance, Korean broadcaster MBC even warned that teachers had allegedly taught their classes in a state of chemical impairment, speaking in voices "louder than necessary" and using "exaggerated body movements."

Well, at least we know what to look out for.

Coincidentally, it`s not just the foreign teachers, Korean press and Ministry of Justice who have an opinion on the matter. Local colleges and, as one might expect, private language institutes (or hagwon) have been none too pleased with the added red tape they must deal with to recruit teachers in Korea`s overheated English-learning market. In a Jan. 4 report, the Korean-language internet newspaper NoCutNews warned that, with the winter vacation approaching, cram schools were heading for a state of emergency due to the difficulties in finding qualified teachers. With finders` fees skyrocketing, schools warned that tuition, too, would go up -- a stern threat, actually, given how the cost of education in Korea (the growth rate of which has hit a 10-year high) has already become a major household talking point.

While it`s unclear yet where all this discussion will lead, it doesn`t seem that the talk will end anytime soon.



The changing face of Korea



E-2 visa regulations aside, a look at the papers these days suggests that the times really are a-changin`. Take, for instance, the appointment of British banker David Eldon as co-chair of President-elect Lee Myung-bak`s transition team. Just a few years ago, this would have been next to unthinkable. Now, we have the Ministry of Justice talking about loosening regulations on foreign professionals willing to work in Korea, including the granting of permanent residency rights.

Perhaps these changes should come as no surprise. Korea`s foreign population has tripled in the last decade, going from 330,000 in 1997 to over 1 million last year. With foreign laborers coming to Korea in pursuit of the "Korean dream," and single Korean farmers marrying young foreign women in ever-growing numbers, local media now regularly trumpet Korea`s development into a multicultural society.

Just how multicultural Korea is, is open to debate; even now, foreigners and the foreign-born make up only 2 percent of Korea`s population (compared with, say, 11.8 percent in the United States as of 2002) -- but still, a trip to the countryside or industrial suburbs like Ansan reveals that important changes to Korea`s ethnic and cultural landscape are taking place. In an interview in December, the head of the Ministry of Justice`s Immigration Bureau went as far as suggesting that the government needs to "educate Koreans to accept that foreigners are potential life-long participants in Korean society, and, as such, should be seen as belonging here."

In a society that has long taken pride in its ethnic homogeneity, that`s a meaningful statement.



Robert is the editor-in-chief of SEOUL magazine, and the administrator of The Marmot`s Hole blog. (www.rjkoehler.com) -- Ed.