Securitizing, Economizing, and Humanizing Immigration: The Case of the Employment Permit System in South Korea

• In Event: 469 - Section on International Migration Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 15. Immigration Policies and Practices

Abstract

Immigration poses a dilemma for the host states. Embracing international migrants contributes to the economic prosperity and the national reputation as a guardian of human rights, but simultaneously triggers security concerns. How can a migrant-receiving state address this dilemma? Using the case of the Employment Permit System (EPS) in South Korea, the first law enacted in 2004 to protect basic rights of foreign workers, this paper examines how a nation-state optimizes its policies on migrants by satisfying competing demands for security, economic prosperity, and human rights simultaneously. More specifically, this study seeks to explain the interplay between endogenous and exogenous factors in the course of the formation of the EPS. We maintain that while the EPS is considered as the fruit of civic engagement and a victory for human rights, analyzing the detailed provision of the system reveals that the EPS is not a mere reflection of humanitarian concerns stemming from global norms: political calculations in economic terms and security concerns were still dominant rationalities that guided the law-making process. Furthermore, we argue that South Korean government’s efforts to simultaneously respond to contradictory requirements led to a decoupled structure in the immigration policy, i.e., the maintenance of the gaps between incorporating global norms and protecting fundamental human rights of immigrants.

Authors

• Sookyung Kim, Korea University

• Jeong-Woo Koo, Sungkyunkwan University