By the end of this year, foreign residents in Seoul will have an official platform to more actively participate in the city’s policymaking for foreigners here, officials said Monday.

The Foreign Residents Council (provisional name) will consist of 25 to 30 representatives and meet on a quarterly basis. The city will hold preparatory meetings until August for the final plan to be released by November, according to the officials.

The city has been moving to set up the panel to better incorporate the voices of foreign residents, with whom the municipality has been communicating through various channels including the Seoul Town Meeting.

At the latest round with European residents on Friday, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon confirmed the consultative body will be set up this year, hopefully for wider participation of foreign residents in establishing and improving policies.

“I understand Seoul is on track to hold the council. By the end of this year, foreign residents will use the council as an opportunity to engage in the city’s policymaking process,” Park said.

As of now, the council is likely to be modeled after Kawasaki City Representative Assembly for Foreign Residents in Japan, the officials explained. “The council will serve as an advisory group like the Japanese counterpart, where its members give feedbacks to policymakers,” he said.

The council will be the first of its kind in Korea for foreign residents to present their opinion on the city government’s policies. Currently, about 400,000 foreign residents live in Seoul.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)