Seoul, Republic of Korea (ROK) – IOM Seoul, Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), and ROK NGO Global Village has begun a weeklong International Migrants Day campaign in Seoul Plaza to mark the 2014 International Migrants Day.

The goal of the International Migrants Day campaign in ROK is to promote a positive public perception of international migrants by highlighting their significant contributions to societies around the world.

The two main themes of the campaign, ‘Migrants Contribute’ and ‘MigrationMeans,’ have come from two global campaigns initiated by IOM, in 2013 and 2014 respectively, in an effort to raise awareness of how migrants contribute to societies and that there are many different reasons for migration.

Before the International Migrants Day campaign kicked off on 18 December, over a hundred street banners were hung in Jongno and Mugyo-ro, central streets in Seoul, to inform the public about the first International Migrants Day campaign in Seoul and to attract them to Seoul Plaza.

In Seoul plaza, eight ‘migrants contribute’ images are displayed on giant boxes, featuring different types of migrants in ROK, to highlight their positive contributions to society, such as foreign languages, different cultures, new ideas, technical skills, etc.

Around 200 photos featuring the answers of people from ROK and around the world when asked “What does migration mean to you?” are also introduced to public on tall display cases.

In an interview with a news agency, IOM Seoul Head of Office Park Mi-hyung said, “With the number of international migrants in ROK reaching 1.7 million and inevitably rising in the coming years, protecting their rights, recognizing their potential, and integrating them into Korean society is increasingly important,” emphasizing the necessity of such campaign.

“These migrants give us an exceptional opportunity to build a more diverse and resilient Korea, and the International Migrants Day campaign is a key step toward promoting a mutual understanding between migrants and citizens while raising awareness of migrant issues.” Park continued.

The event has gathered wide media attention from journalists and news agencies in ROK and has been reported on numerous articles. With Seoul Plaza expecting to open its winter landmark ice rink on 19 December, the campaign is expected to gain more public attention.

To show Seoul city’s support to IOM and to the International Migrants Day campaign, the Mayor of Seoul Park Won-soon has participated in the #MigrationMeans campaign.

“To me, migration means hoping together. Many people move to Seoul hoping for a better life and more opportunities. It is one of Seoul city’s priorities to hope together with its 400,000 migrants, so that their hopes can come true,” he said.

The International Migrants Day Campaign celebrating ceremony will take place on 21 December, at the Korea Support Center for Foreign Worker, which will gather around 400 people including representatives from IOM, Seoul City, Global Village, Congress, and the migrant community. Mayor of Seoul Park Won-soon will deliver an opening remarks via video to celebrate the campaign.

For more information, please contact,

Eunjin Jeong
Communications Officer, IOM Seoul
Email: ejeong@iom.int
Phone: + 82 70 4820 2324
Website: http://iom.or.kr