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Civic groups protest the exclusion of foreign nationals in disaster relief policies in front of the Blue House. (Lee Jong-keun, staff photographer)

Seoul has decided that non-Koreans will also receive basic disaster allowances in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. The city is following the National Human Rights Commission’s recommendation to local governments to ensure that foreign residents aren’t left out of their disaster aid policies.

Funds allocated for providing non-Koreans with disaster aid were included in the third revised supplementary budget that Seoul said was passed by the city council on June 30. The city estimates that about 33 billion won (US$27.4 million) will be spent on providing disaster relief to foreign residents.

“We are reviewing a number of options about the scope of the aid, such as how to determine foreigners’ income and whether aid will also be given to undocumented foreigners,” said an official from Seoul’s welfare policy department.

Earlier, Seoul provided 300,000-500,000 won (US$250-416) in disaster relief to all Korean households below the median income with the goal of helping individuals in vulnerable groups who are struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic. In the case of non-Koreans, however, aid was limited to those who are married to Korean nationals, those responsible for close family members with Korean nationality following divorce or bereavement, and those with refugee status.

That prompted foreign nationals of Korean ethnicity, female immigrants who are married to Koreans, and groups advocating for the rights of migrants to file a petition to the National Human Rights Commission in April. These groups argued that local governments’ decision to exclude non-Koreans from their disaster relief policy constituted discrimination and a violation of human rights.

“By treating foreign residents differently in their disaster relief policy, Seoul and Gyeonggi Province are engaging in unreasonable discrimination,” the Commission said on June 11, arguing that their actions were in violation of the equal rights protected by the constitution and of international human rights norms.

By Suh Hye-mi, staff reporter

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