[COVER STORY] Migrant communities push back against Lee's 'reverse discrimination' framing

Published Nov 2, 2026 12:00 pm KST

Families, advocates warn presidential rhetoric risks reinforcing prejudice

A participant holds a sign reading “I resist racism” at an event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Seoul, March 15. Korea Times photo by Kang Ye-jin

People from multicultural families and migrant rights advocates are pushing back against President Lee Jae Myung’s recent suggestion that certain support policies could amount to “reverse discrimination,” warning that his remarks risk deepening social divisions and reinforcing prejudice.

While acknowledging that Lee may have intended to address fairness in welfare provisions and labor shortages in rural areas, they say his language risks portraying migrants as undeserving beneficiaries.

Speaking to The Korea Times, they urged the president to exercise greater care, adding that his words carry particular weight in shaping public attitudes toward migrant communities.

At a Cabinet meeting on Oct. 27, Lee said bringing in foreign workers “does not greatly benefit the national economy,” arguing that they “send all their wages back to their home countries.” In subsequent social media posts, he questioned whether government policies should “go beyond” protecting multicultural families from disadvantages to granting them better treatment, citing priority access to public postpartum care centers as an example.

“I understand that concerns can emerge when people compete for limited resources. But support for such families is meant to address barriers, including difficulties with language and access to information. Before calling that reverse discrimination, I think the government should first examine what disadvantages these families face and how serious they are. I find myself wondering why the term was used so lightly,” said Jeong Heon-do, a college senior whose mother is from the Philippines.

Jeong added that “reverse discrimination” framing risks turning questions about support into conflict between different groups.

“When people begin to see the issue as one group being discriminated against and another facing reverse discrimination, it creates tensions and makes meaningful dialogue harder … That’s why this framing makes us feel so uneasy,” he said.

Ko Gi-bok, operating committee chair of the Joint Committee with Migrants in Korea, a civic group promoting migrant rights, also warned that reducing complex structural problems to a question of discrimination between groups could fuel unnecessary tension.

“The president seems to be responding to concerns about fairness and a sense, particularly among young people, that Korean-born nationals face reverse discrimination,” he said. “But those directly affected are highly sensitive to such remarks. They may wonder, ‘Will this affect my right to stay or renew my visa?’ or feel that the president does not welcome them. That can leave them deeply anxious about their place in this country.”

Lawyer Choi Jung-kyu warned that remarks seen as stigmatizing migrants could fuel hostility and crimes motivated by prejudice, regardless of the president’s intentions.

He recalled representing an undocumented migrant worker from Vietnam who was chased and assaulted by teenagers attempting to extort money from him in Pocheon, northern Gyeonggi Province, in 2023. The victim was beaten for an hour without anyone stepping in to help, he said.

“The president’s remarks are dangerous even if he later says that was not what he meant,” Choi said. “Terms such as ‘reverse discrimination’ and ‘excessive preferential treatment’ are strong words that can fuel prejudice and discrimination. They are not words someone in such a position of responsibility should use lightly.”

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Oct. 28. Joint Press Corps

Amid the growing backlash, particularly from liberal groups, Lee has defended his stance, saying support for multicultural families should address specific disadvantages and ensure equal footing with other households.

He said assistance with cultural adjustment, bilingual support and community participation remain essential and should be strengthened. But preferences such as additional points for child care admission and priority access to public postpartum care centers warranted review, he argued.

For Iresha Perera, a naturalized Korean citizen from Sri Lanka who heads Talk to Me, an NGO promoting migrant rights, the debate misses a more fundamental point: Policies for multicultural families are not well carried out in the field.

“Few policies are implemented exactly as planned. Policymakers make it, but they do not care how they are well carried out, if people subject to them actually get support from the policies,” she said.

“Whenever multicultural family issues surface in politics, we laugh, saying we’re going to be exploited again or someone is going to pick a fight with us. It seems like we are being used in an event named ‘multicultural family.’”

发布于2026年11月2日韩国时间下午12:00

家庭和倡导者警告称，总统的言论有可能加剧偏见。

3月15日，在首尔举行的国际消除种族歧视日纪念活动上，一名参与者举着写有“我反对种族歧视”的标语。韩国时报 姜艺珍 摄

来自多元文化家庭的人们和移民权利倡导者们对李在明总统最近提出的某些扶持政策可能构成“反向歧视”的说法表示反对，并警告说，他的言论有可能加深社会分裂，强化偏见。

他们承认李可能意在解决福利待遇的公平性和农村地区的劳动力短缺问题，但他们表示，他的措辞有可能将移民描绘成不值得受益的人。

他们在接受《韩国时报》采访时敦促总统更加谨慎行事，并补充说，总统的言论对塑造公众对移民群体的态度具有特别重要的意义。

10月27日，李显龙在内阁会议上表示，引进外籍劳工“对国民经济并无太大益处”，理由是他们“会将所有工资寄回本国”。随后，他在社交媒体上发文质疑政府政策是否应该“超越”保护多元文化家庭免受不利影响的范畴，给予他们更好的待遇，并以优先使用公共产后护理中心为例。

“我理解人们争夺有限资源时可能会出现一些问题。但对这类家庭的支持旨在消除障碍，包括语言障碍和信息获取困难。在称之为反向歧视之前，我认为政府应该首先调查这些家庭面临的劣势以及这些劣势的严重程度。我不禁纳闷，为什么这个词会被如此轻易地使用，”郑宪道（音译）说道，他是一名大学四年级学生，母亲来自菲律宾。

Jeong补充说，“反向歧视”的框架可能会将有关支持的问题演变成不同群体之间的冲突。

他说：“当人们开始把这个问题看作是一个群体受到歧视，而另一个群体面临反向歧视时，就会造成紧张局势，使有意义的对话更加困难……这就是为什么这种框架让我们感到如此不安。”

韩国移民联合委员会（一个倡导移民权利的公民团体）的运营委员会主席高基福也警告说，将复杂的结构性问题简化为群体间的歧视问题可能会加剧不必要的紧张局势。

他说：“总统似乎是在回应人们对公平性的担忧，以及尤其是年轻人中普遍存在的一种感觉，即韩裔公民面临反向歧视。但那些直接受到影响的人对这类言论非常敏感。他们可能会想，‘这会影响我的居留权或签证续签权吗？’或者觉得总统不欢迎他们。这会让他们对自己在这个国家的地位深感焦虑。”

律师崔正奎警告说，无论总统的意图如何，被视为污名化移民的言论都可能助长敌意和出于偏见的犯罪。

他回忆起2023年在京畿道北部抱川市，他曾代理过一名来自越南的无证移民工人的案件。这名工人遭到一群青少年追赶和殴打，他们试图勒索他的钱财。他说，受害者被殴打了一个小时，却没有人上前帮忙。

“即便总统事后声称那并非他的本意，他的言论仍然很危险，”崔说。“‘反向歧视’和‘过度优待’之类的措辞非常强烈，会助长偏见和歧视。身居要职的人不应该轻易使用这些词语。”

10月28日，李在明总统在首尔青瓦台出席会议并发表讲话。（联合记者团摄）

面对日益高涨的反对声浪，尤其是来自自由派团体的反对，李为自己的立场辩护，称对多元文化家庭的支持应该解决具体的劣势，并确保与其他家庭享有平等的地位。

他表示，文化适应方面的援助、双语支持和社区参与仍然至关重要，应该加强。但他认为，诸如托儿所入学加分和优先进入公共产后护理中心等优惠政策需要重新审视。

对于来自斯里兰卡的入籍韩国公民、致力于促进移民权利的非政府组织“与我交谈”的负责人伊雷莎·佩雷拉来说，这场辩论忽略了一个更根本的问题：多元文化家庭的政策在实践中并没有得到很好的执行。

“很少有政策能完全按照计划执行。政策制定者制定政策，但他们并不关心政策执行得如何，也不关心受政策影响的人们是否真正从中受益，”她说。

“每当政治中出现多元文化家庭议题时，我们都会一笑置之，说我们又要被利用了，或者有人要找我们茬。感觉我们好像被卷入了一场名为‘多元文化家庭’的事件中。”