[Press release]
“June 3 Local Elections: Listen to the Voices of Migrants!”
Press conference announcing migrant human rights policy demands for the local elections
May 13, 2026 (Wed.), 1 p.m. // Gwanghwamun Square (in front of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin statue)
○ Organized by: Migrant rights and labor organizations nationwide, jointly
◯ Moderator: Kim Hosea, Deputy Policy Director (Korean Confederation of Trade Unions)
◯ Statements of migrant human rights policy demands for the local elections
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Migrant labor: Udaya Rai, Chairperson (Migrants’ Trade Union)
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Responding to hatred of migrants: Park Dong-chan, Director (Institute for the Voice of Boundary People, 경계인의몫소리연구소)
Migrant women: Heo Oh Yeong-suk, Representative (Korea Migrant Women Human Rights Center)
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Migrants’ right to health: Park Hee-eun, Director (Alliance for Non-discriminatory Health Rights of Migrants / Gonggam Occupational and Environmental Medicine Center)
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Refugees: Lee Il, Chair (Korea Refugee Rights Network / Advocates for Public Interest Law)
Children and youth with a migrant background: Kang Da-young, Secretary General (Anglican Yongsan-Hyehwa House of Sharing)
◯ Reading of the press conference statement
Myeong-suk, activist, Human Rights Movement Network Baram; Yang Han-woong, Executive Chair, Social and Labor Committee of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism
[Press conference statement]
“June 3 Local Elections: Listen to the Voices of Migrants!”
Joint press conference statement by migrant rights organizations nationwide
As of the end of last March, 2.83 million migrants live in Korean society. Those who stay long term, for three months or more, number about 2.17 million. Given the population decline, labor shortages and the crisis of regional extinction in Korean society, the number of migrants will continue to increase. The government, too, continues to stress the importance of immigration policy.
Migrants work and live in local communities as residents, as workers, as consumers and as members of society. They are precious beings that Korean society cannot do without. Yet migrants are always excluded and discriminated against in support policies of every kind because they do not hold Korean nationality, and because they have no right to vote they are alienated from politics, so the major parties do not even put forward proper policies for migrants in elections.
On the contrary, even over the right to vote in local elections, which permanent residents obtain three years after acquiring permanent residence, some in politics are busy attacking it, talking about stripping that right on the basis of anti-Chinese sentiment. In the high oil price relief payment the government is implementing now as well, most migrants are excluded from the support except for some of them. Across central and local governments alike, it is no exaggeration to say that discrimination against and exclusion of migrants is the default in labor, childcare and education, care, health care, housing and daily life as a whole.
The same is true of the June 3 local elections. Far from putting forward policy pledges that properly represent migrants, who are members of the local community, and improve their rights and treatment, there is a candidate who has put forward, as a so-called pledge, the shocking idea of hunting down undocumented migrants with AI surveillance cameras, and a bill that would worsen the voting rights of permanent residents has been introduced. The disregard and discrimination of the political sphere toward the migrants who live together with us is extremely worrying.
In the local elections, the voices of migrants must be heard!
Democracy must hear the voices of its members within the community without exclusion or discrimination and reflect them in policy, and above all must be able to represent those who have been pushed beyond the boundary. The diverse migrants who already exist as neighbors and residents of local communities must be able to take part in the policy-making process, their treatment and rights must be guaranteed equally, and support policies must be strengthened.
The political sphere must no longer treat migrants as disposable instruments, using them only as labor when needed and then casting them aside. It must recognize migrants as people with their own individuality and personality, as members of the local community, and put forward policy pledges guaranteeing the human rights of migrants that specify equal guarantees of rights and support policies, not discrimination and exclusion.
For this purpose, migrant rights organizations across the country strongly urge the following.
- In the June 3 local elections, reflect the voices of migrants in policy pledges!
- Migrants are not labor or tools! Guarantee the human rights of migrants!
- Political parties must present policy pledges guaranteeing the rights of migrants!
- Stop hatred and discrimination, and strengthen support policies for migrants in local communities!
- Implement policies without discrimination against migrants in all areas of life, including labor, childcare and education, care, health care and housing, and across the entire life cycle!
May 13, 2026
All migrant rights organizations nationwide
경계인의몫소리연구소, 경기이주평등연대((사)공감직업환경의학센터/노동당경기도당/노동해방을위한좌파활동가경기결집/노무법인약속/다산인권센터/민주노총경기도본부/민주노총수원용인오산화성지부/민주사회를위한변호사모임노동위원회/반월시화공단노동조합‘월담’/수원이주민센터/오산이주노동자센터/이주노동법률지원센터소금꽃나무/이웃살이이주노동자센터/이주노동자노동조합/지구인의정류장/정의당경기도당/화성노동안전네트워크/화성외국인보호소방문시민모임‘마중’/한국노동안전보건연구소), 공익인권법재단 공감, 광주전남이주노동자인권네트워크(광주민중의집, 광주비정규직센터, 광주외국인복지센터, 광주외국인노동자센터, 공익변호사와함께하는동행, 금속노조광주전남지부, 금속노조광주자동차부품사비정규직지회, 공공운수노조광주전남지부, 전남노동권익센터, 전환 광주전남지부, 사회진보연대광주전남지부, 광주전남노동안전보건지킴이(준)), 난민인권네트워크(TFC(The First Contact for Refugee), 공익법센터 어필, 공익변호사와 함께하는 동행, 공익사단법인 정, 공익인권법재단 공감, 공익인권센터 드림(DREAM), 국제난민지원단체 피난처, 글로벌호프, 난민인권센터(NANCEN), 동두천난민공동체, 동두천가톨릭센터, 동작FM, 민주사회를 위한 변호사모임 국제연대위원회, 비영리단체 겨자풀, 사단법인 두루, 성가소비녀회 의정부관구 동두천 베타니아, 성가소비녀회 의정부관구 파주 베타니아, 수원글로벌드림센터, 순천이주민지원센터, 아시아의친구들, 아시아평화를향한이주MAP, 이주여성을위한문화경제공동체 에코팜므, 이주민지원공익센터 감동, 외국인이주노동자인권을위한모임, 의정부 EXODUS, 이주민센터 친구, 천주교제주교구이주사목센터 나오미, 재단법인 동천, 재단법인 화우공익재단, 제주평화인권연구소 왓, 참여연대, 파주EXODUS, 한국이주인권센터), 대전충청이주인권운동연대(다문화대안학교 알스쿨, 대전이주노동자연대, 대전이주민지원센터, 아산이주노동자센터, 음성군외국인지원센터, 이주민노동인권센터, 음성군외국인지원센터, 충남다문화가정협회, 충남이주여성상담소, 충북이주여성인권센터, 홍성이주민센터),대한불교조계종 사회노동위원회, 사람이왔다_이주노동자차별철폐네트워크(가톨릭노동상담소, 거제노동안전보건활동가모임, 경기이주평등연대, 경북북부이주노동자센터, 경산(경북)이주노동자센터, 경주이주노동자센터, 광주전남이주노동자인권네트워크, 노동당노동위원회, 노동해방마중, 노동해방을위한좌파활동가 광주전남결집, 노동해방을위한좌파활동가 대구결집, 노동해방을위한좌파활동가 서울결집, 노동해방을위한좌파활동가 전국결집, 녹색당, 대구이주민선교센터, 대한불교조계종 사회노동위원회, 마창거제산재추방운동연합, 민주노조를깨우는소리호각, 반월시화공단노동조합:월담, 변혁적여성운동네트워크 빵과장미, 비정규직이제그만공동투쟁, 사회주의를향한전진, 성서공단지역지회, 우리동네노동권찾기, 우리들의상호부조말랑키즘, 울산이주민센터, 음성노동인권센터, 이주노동자노동조합, 이주와인권연구소, 이행移行: 이주민 인권을 위한 행정사 모임, 인권운동공간 활, 인권운동네트워크바람, 인권운동사랑방, 자치와 자급, 전국불안정노동철폐연대, 전남이주노동자인권네트워크, 전북특별자치도노동조합, 정의당, 플랫폼C, 한국노동안전보건연구소, 황금빛살미얀마공동체, (사)공감직업환경의학센터, (사)김용균재단, (사)이주민과함께, (사)이주와가치), 수원이주민센터, 외국인이주·노동운동협의회(남양주시외국인복지센터, (사협)다문화너머서, 모두를위한이주인권문화센터, 부천이주노동복지센터, 순천이주민지원센터, 아산이주노동자센터, 아시아인권문화연대, 외국인이주노동자인권을위한모임, 원불교서울외국인센터, 의정부이주노동자센터, 이주민센터동행, 인천외국인노동자센터, 파주이주노동자센터샬롬의집, 포천나눔의집이주민지원센터, (사)한국이주민건강협회위프렌즈, (사)한국이주여성인권센터), 이주민센터 친구, 이주노동자 인권·노동권 실현을 위한 대구경북지역연대회의(경북북부이주노동자센터, 대구이주민선교센터(북부,현풍), 성서공단지역지회, 이주와가치, 민주노총경북지역본부, 민주노총대구지역본부, 경산장애인자립생활센터, 대구경북인도주의실천의사협의회, 대구사람장애인자립생활센터, 땅과자유, 민주사회를위한 변호사모임대구지부, 무지개인권연대, 인권운동연대, 장애인지역공동체, 지구별동무, 좌파활동가대구결집, 기본소득당대구시당, 노동당대구시당, 노동당경북도당, 녹색당대구시당, 정의당대구시당, 진보당대구시당), 이주노동자평등연대(건강권 실현을 위한 보건의료단체연합, 노동당, 노동사회과학연구소, 노동전선, 녹색당, 대한불교조계종사회노동위원회, 성공회용산나눔의집, 민변노동위원회, 사회진보연대, 이주노동자노동조합(MTU), (사)이주노동희망센터, 이주노동자운동후원회, 이주민센터친구, 인권운동네트워크 바람, 전국민주노동조합총연맹, 전국불안정노동철폐연대, 지구인의정류장, 천주교인권위원회, 필리핀공동체카사마코, 한국비정규노동센터), 이주인권셋, 인권운동네트워크 바람, 인권운동사랑방, 자치와자급 이주민네트워크, 정의당 경기도당, 한국이주여성인권센터