The Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) will raise the subsidy rate for overseas Korean organizations from 50 percent to 80 percent and push to expand private-sector use of the simplified authentication certificate for overseas nationals, marking its third anniversary. The measures were among the key improvements announced by the government at a ceremony held at the Diplomatic Town in Seocho-dong, Seoul, on Friday.
The event was held under the theme "Voices from Across the Seas, Answered Through Policy." In the first session, an online roundtable, officials connected with overseas Koreans around the world via video to hear their suggestions directly. Officials from the Ministry of Justice and other relevant agencies also attended and responded on-site.
Overseas Koreans called for expanding the range of services accepting the simplified authentication certificate for overseas nationals, increasing subsidies for overseas Korean organizations, and issuing international driver's licenses and renewing Class 1 driver's licenses through overseas diplomatic missions. The government responded that it was positively reviewing the expansion of private-sector use of the certificate and improvements to driver's license services through diplomatic missions.
In the second session, an academic forum, experts from the Korean Political Science Association, the Korean Sociological Association, the Korean Association for Policy Studies, and the Association for Korean Overseas Studies held discussions on the theme "Reflection and Transition in Overseas Korean Policy." They discussed diagnosing institutional blind spots, advancing the rights and interests of overseas Koreans, and ways to attract talented overseas Korean individuals.
"The Overseas Koreans Agency was able to establish itself because of the voices of overseas Koreans," OKA Commissioner Kim Kyung-hyup said. "We will carefully attend to voices from the field and respond with effective policies."
The Overseas Koreans Agency was launched on June 5, 2023, to unify overseas Korean policy that had been split between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Overseas Koreans Foundation.
