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A
member of the foreign community in Seoul addresses the issue of foreign
investment at a town meeting held by the city government, Thursday. |
By Carli Brosseau
Contributing Writer
To make Seoul a better place to live, and therefore attract more
foreign investment, the city government held a town meeting Thursday
that was conducted simultaneously in Korean and English.
Because the meeting was held at 2 p.m., many of those who attended came
in their official capacities as embassy staff; few company executives,
English teachers, nannies or factory workers were present.
Their voices, however, were not entirely neglected. Embassy staff from
the Philippines, Indonesia and the United Kingdom asked questions
relevant to these groups, and some were pointed.
Angela Trott from the U.K. Consulate asked, ``What are you doing to
crack down on agents who tell teachers to come on a tourist visa and
then send them off to get a work visa on a visa run, something that is
illegal?’’ Answer: ``It is against the law to do that, and we will
crack down.’’
The themes of this year’s meeting were pensions and medical insurance,
and the most blistering questions, as well as the most evasive answers,
fell into these categories.
All foreigners who work in Korea are required to enroll in the national
insurance plan, regardless of the insurance their employer provides
otherwise.
The policy has been contested by multinational companies, which are
then forced to pay double or even more _ first for the insurance they
provide all employees and again for those in Korea, where insurance
premiums are based on salary.
The policy is supposed to be changed in July, but presenters emphasized that details may not be worked out by that time.
The meeting started with follow-up to last year’s meeting, when the
language barrier in obtaining medical services was discussed.
Presenters said that there are now 10 international clinics where
foreign residents can get medical care in English.
Then Jay Waters was passed the microphone. ``I went to the Samsung
clinic for treatment, but they said they didn’t accept the national
insurance,’’ he said. Most English teachers, like Waters, are insured
under the national plan, and the Samsung clinic in Kangnam is one of
the 10 international clinics. While the English spoken was good, he
said, the clinic would accept only international insurance, not even
private Korean insurance.
``What good are the international clinics then?’’ Waters asked.
Waters could have been turned away because the insurance doesn’t cover
the procedures he was looking for; public insurance only covers
treatment, not preventative care. There is, however, no available list
of procedures covered.
Problems navigating the red tape in Korea, as well as the language
barrier, have been cited by multinational companies as obstacles to
investment. Last year, foreign direct investment here declined.
Meetings such as the one held Thursday are intended to combat the
country’s image as a difficult place to invest. They are to acknowledge
that foreigners’ opinions are being taken into consideration. The
follow-up to last year’s suggestions indicated that action had been
taken.
For more information about the national health insurance program, visit
www.nihc.or.kr or call 390-2000. For the 24-hour medical referral
service, call 010-4769-8212 or 010-8750-8212, or e-mail
medicalreferral@seoul.go.kr.
For more about the national pension plan, visit www.nps4u.or.kr or call 2240-1114.
For information about immigration issues, visit seoul.immigration.go.kr or call 2650-6212.
The Seoul Help Center for Foreigners information desk can be reached at
731-6800, and its English helpline can be reached at 797-8212.
carli.brosseau@gmail.com
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