Immigration Policies and the Factors of Migration from Developing Countries to South Korea: An Empirical Analysis
| Published date | 01 June 2016 |
| Date | 01 June 2016 |
| Author | Ador R. Torneo |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12246 |
Immigration Policies and the Factors of
Migration from Developing Countries to
South Korea: An Empirical Analysis
Ador R. Torneo*
ABSTRACT
This study examines the impacts of immigration policies adopted by the Korean government,
vis-a-vis other economic, social, demographic, and political factors, on labour migration from
developing countries to South Korea using a modified gravity model. The model is extended
to marriage-related migrants to gain insights on marriage migration. The positive results in
three out of the five immigration policies examined affirm that liberal policies are associated
with increased migration, especially for preferred groups like ethnic Koreans, marriage
migrants, and professionals. The positive effects of “push”factors such as population, unem-
ployment, and inflation are generally similar to their effects on migration to the US, Canada,
Germany, and the UK despite its more rapid transition from a migrant-sending into a migrant-
receiving country. Political terror’s non-significance may be due to South Korea’s limited asy-
lum policy. Finally, the results of the extended model imply that marriage migration share
plenty of similarities with labour migration.
INTRODUCTION
Until the 1990s, South Korea was primarily a migrant sending country and systematic and large
scale migration to the country was virtually non-existent. Beginning in the 1960s, tens of thousands
of Korean migrant workers were deployed to Germany and the Middle East as part of the govern-
ment’s efforts to increase the country’s foreign currency reserves to support industrialization. South
Korea recruited increasing numbers of foreign workers from developing countries in the early
1990s as the economy grew and industries expanded, thus marking its transition from a migrant
sending to a migrant receiving country. The estimated number of migrant workers in the country
rose from only 6,409 in 1987, to around 145,405 in 1995, to more than 700,000 in 2011 (Seol,
2000; Kim and Kwon, 2012; A.E. Kim, 2010; MOJ 2012).
In the mid-1990s, migration associated with marriages also began to emerge. This began with large
numbers of ethnic Korean women from China recruited as brides for single rural Korean men. It then
gradually spread to include brides from developing countries in Southeast and Central Asia. Previ-
ously, marriages with foreigners were rare and comprised only a little above one per cent of all mar-
riages. Since 2004, however, at least a tenth of all marriages involved a foreign spouse; eight out of
ten is a foreign bride. While this phenomenon, sometimes referred to as “marriage migration”, is dis-
tinct from labour migration, they share similarities. Majority of brides come from geographically
proximate developing countries. Like migrant workers, these migrant brides also address particular
*Political Science Department, De La Salle University, Manila
doi: 10.1111/imig.12246
©2016 The Author
International Migration ©2016 IOM
International Migration Vol. 54 (3) 2016
ISSN 0020-7985Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
needs: they also address scarcity of brides and the need for reproductive labour in Korea’s rapidly
ageing society (Kim, Yang, and Torneo, 2012; Statistics Korea, 2006, 2012a).
As a result of migration, South Korea’s foreign resident population ballooned from only 40,519 in
1980, to 750,000 in 2004, to 1.4 million in 2012. Today, majority of foreigners are labour migrants,
including semi-skilled and low-skilled workers, ethnic Koreans in various categories, and undocu-
mented migrants. Their presence helps alleviate labour shortage in Korean industries, which cur-
rently stand at 3 per cent and is slowly growing (Torneo & Yang, 2015). The remainder are
comprised of marriage-related migrants (marriage migrants hereinafter), professionals, skilled work-
ers, and other long-term residents (Seol, 2000; Kim and Kwon, 2012; Kim, Yang, and Torneo,
2012; MOJ, 2012). The majority of migrants come from developing countries in Asia. Recently,
however, increasing numbers of migrants from Eastern Europe, Africa, and South America are also
contributing to this trend.
Statement of the problem
It is often assumed that the migration process unfolding in South Korea is similar to that of other
industrialized countries. Migration is attributed to push factors in countries of origin and pull factors
from the destination country. Demographic changes and economic development are believed to create
and sustain demand for cheap foreign labour. Studies also suggest that skewed sex-birth ratio, rapid
fertility decline, rural to urban migration, and the changing status of women lead to marriage squeeze,
which creates demand for foreign brides and induce marriage migration (e.g. see H.K. Lee, 2008; Lee
and Park, 2005; H.M. Kim, 2007; Lim, 2009; D.S. Kim, 2010; Torneo and Yang, 2015).
Since the 1990s, the Korean government has utilized various policy instruments to manage migra-
tion. A general set of policies applies to all migrants. One set of policy has been adopted for low and
semi-skilled migrant workers. Another set applies to preferred groups, which include ethnic Koreans,
women marriage migrants, professionals, and foreign investors. These policies have been studied
(e.g. Lee and Park, 2005; Yoo, 2005; Kim, 2009; Torneo and Yang, 2015, etc.) but there is a dearth
of comprehensive empirical analysis on their specific impacts. This study addresses this gap.
Migration is a complex phenomenon influenced by a multitude of factors: economic, socio-demo-
graphic, political, and even geographic (e.g. Massey et al., 1993; Vogler and Rotte, 2000;
Karemera, Oguledo, and Davis, 2000; Mayda, 2009). Immigration policies affect migration in
TABLE 1
SELECTED GROUPS FOR STUDY
4
Asia South America Russia-Europe Africa
China
India
Indonesia
Jordan
Kyrgyzstan
Malaysia
Mongolia
Pakistan
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Turkey
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Chinese-Koreans
Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Mexico
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Venezuela
Bulgaria
Romania
Ukraine
Russia
Russian-Koreans
Algeria
Egypt
South Africa
Tunisia
140 Torneo
©2016 The Author. International Migration ©2016 IOM
To continue reading
Request your trial