The Universal Culture Center: Working for Migrant Rights
By Soumitra Kumar Kundu
A construction worker in Gwangju is injured on the job and doesn’t know the procedure for taking leave from employment. A PhD researcher is expecting a new baby, but isn’t sure how to go about getting pre- and post-natal care in Korea. A factory worker in Mokpo doesn’t receive his full salary but feels powerless to complain to his employer who sponsored his visa. Foreign nationals in a variety of stressful and vulnerable situations can turn to the Universal Cultural Center (UCC) for information and legal and financial support.
The UCC is a well-known NGO operating in the South Jeolla area. Since 2007, it’s been working to meet the needs of migrants in a variety of ways. Some of the many actions undertaken by the UCC include advocating for migrants’ human and labor rights, operating free temporary and long-stay shelters for migrants, offering counseling about living in Korea for immigrant housewives and migrants, hosting language classes, running food sharing programs, operating volunteering programs with migrant housewives and international students, and hosting cultural festivals and events with local organizations. As a government-accredited institution, Korean students can also receive volunteering credit for working with the UCC.
The UCC was established in Gwangju Metropolitan City in 2007 by Indian-Korean Basu Mukul. Basu originally arrived in Korea in 1989 as a meditation teacher of Ananda Marga and later graduated from Seoul National University. Soon after, he began volunteer work to aid other international students and local foreign laborers. After marrying a Korean citizen in 1993, he changed his nationality to Korean in 1999. On Memorial Global Citizen Day 2020, Basu received the Prime Minister’s Award from the South Korean government in recognition of his ongoing volunteer work for migrant workers and multicultural families.
One of the most challenging aspects of being a foreign national in Korea is finding the information on how to navigate complicated legal or medical situations. The UCC’s information desk provides consultation and information regarding visas, medical procedures, insurance, and Korean law. The UCC staff accompany migrants to medical appointments for translation and also work with local doctors and facilities that provide services for migrants at reduced rates. According to Dr. Beom Eun Kyoung, who serves on the UCC board of directors, medical terms and concepts are difficult to understand even for Koreans. “I am sure it is much harder for migrants to know which doctor to visit when they have health problems, and how to communicate with the doctors,” she says, “so, I assist the UCC with that part.”
Other challenging areas for migrants are legal and employment disputes. The UCC provides free counseling services regarding human rights infringements and labor law violations for migrant workers, immigrant housewives, and international students. The UCC works in cooperation with local lawyers, labor attorneys, and labor unions in Gwangju and the South Jeolla area to assist in situations ranging from unpaid wages to divorce proceedings.
For migrant workers who suffer from human rights violations and want to change employment, international students who can’t use university dormitories, and immigrant housewives facing family problems, the UCC provides free temporary or long-term accommodation in one of two shelters. These shelters, referred to as “rest houses,” also provide recuperation space before or after hospital treatments and function as community gathering spaces for events.
Language can be a large roadblock preventing migrants from participating in Korean society. To address this, the UCC offers a free Korean language class for migrants, which contributes to adaptation to Korean society and understanding of Korean culture. The UCC also provides opportunities for Koreans to learn other foreign languages. In addition to language classes, the UCC facilitates mentoring programs for migrants to adapt well to Korean culture and society and encourages migrants, their family members, and their children to take part in the voluntary programs for them to be recognized as respected community members in Korea.
COVID-19 has had a massive global impact with many around the world having lost their livelihoods. Migrants in the South Jeolla area are likewise facing difficulties. Most migrants came to Korea following “the Korean dream,” but due to COVID-19, their dreams have collapsed, and economic survival has become very challenging. The UCC, along with Band for Good and Gwangju’s ACCN Foreign Food Mart, are helping migrants survive the recent economic crunch. With donations from local residents, the UCC has been able to distribute groceries and other goods like rice, grains, lentils, cooking oil, eggs, vegetables, halal meat, baby food, and diapers to more than 70 households in Gwangju. The UCC has also distributed masks and hand sanitizer to over 300 local migrants. Internationally, the UCC and the ACCN Foreign Food Mart have also been working to support communities in Bangladesh and Myanmar during COVID-19.
Aside from legal, employment, and financial support, the UCC also plays a large role in supporting cultural and social events for migrant communities in Gwangju. During Korean holidays, the UCC hosts cross-cultural events to promote cultural awareness. Each year since 2007, the UCC has organized Chuseok and Seollal festivals through the Cross- Cultural Awareness Program for migrants in Gwangju. Although in-person events were canceled last year due to COVID-19, with permission from Gwangju City Hall, the UCC was able to host special socially distanced and online programs for Chuseok that were a hit with local communities. On the first day of the program, Korean experts shared online lectures on Korean history, medical systems, and daily-life information. The second day involved cultural exchange through a lunch-swapping program in which 20 cooking teams from a variety of countries prepared lunch boxes featuring their culture’s delicacies. These lunch packs were distributed to 200 participants, so even though community members couldn’t gather together to celebrate Chuseok, the community spirit was still strong.
Outside of holidays, the UCC also participates in cultural festivals hosted by local government and private agencies. Teams from different countries perform their traditional arts, prepare food, and give local Koreans the chance to experience cultural aspects like henna tattooing and traditional dress. Each year, the UCC also organizes several cricket tournaments in Gwangju in which more than 100 migrants (including international PhD researchers, students, workers, and refugees) and Koreans participate. Friendly matches improve international community relationships and help with mental health.
For more than 13 years, the Universal Culture Center has been providing legal, financial, and cultural programs to the migrant community in Gwangju and South Jeolla. None of this work would be possible without a network of adult and student volunteers. The UCC has been accredited as a non-profit and non-governmental organization by the Korean government. Through the 1365 volunteering system (www.1365.go.kr), any student who volunteers with the UCC can receive certification of their volunteer hours. The UCC is always accepting applications for volunteers.
Photographs courtesy of Soumitra Kundu.
The Author
Soumitra Kumar Kundu, PhD, is president of the Universal Cultural Center, which is located at 19-2 Mudeung-ro 375-beon-gil in Gyerim-dong. For more information on the UCC’s upcoming events and how to get involved, visit the UCC-Universal Cultural Center Facebook group or call 062-471-8006.