What Is GIRC?

Inclusive City Gwangju with Foreign Residents

By David J. Richter

The Gwangju International Center (GIC) has been a dominant fixture in the Gwangju foreign community for over two decades now, organizing a large range of events, hosting a foreign language library, providing a large range of services to foreign residents, publishing this very magazine and more. The GIC office is located in the center city, near the Jungang-ro–Geumnam-ro intersection, and I suspect that those reading this have been there more than once. But now, since earlier this year, the GIC has been expanded with the launching of the Gwangju International Residents Center (GIRC).

The GIRC is located in Gwangsan-gu, a district of the city in which a lot of foreign residents reside. The GIRC was established hand-in-hand with the city of Gwangju in order to provide a one-stop location for foreigners to solve problems they might have during their life here in the city. As such, the GIRC offers a service area where staff are manning help desks in various different languages, so that visitors have the opportunity to receive counseling in their preferred language (if available), or at least in a language that they are comfortable with. These services range from visa information services to classes and cultural activities.

In order to also improve language proficiency outside of their language of choice, residents can sign up to free language classes hosted at the GIRC. Languages are taught by experienced teachers and range from classes for complete beginners to classes that are aimed at intermediate learners. Classes at the GIRC are completely free. Anyone interested can reach out to the GIRC via the information provided below.

To bring you more detailed information, we have conducted an interview with the Dr. Shin Gyonggu, executive director, and Kim Minsu, managing director of the GIC. The following is our interview with them.

Gwangju News (GN): The GIC now has two office spaces: one in downtown Dong-gu and the other in Gwangsan-gu. What is the reason for creating a second location?

Shin Gyonggu: The GIC started serving international residents in Gwangju when it was established in 1999 at the request of the City of Gwangju. However, its services have primarily catered to the English-speaking community and Korean residents. Over time, the population of migrant workers has increased significantly, and since they mostly work and live in the Gwangsan-gu area, the GIC has not been able to reach these newcomers effectively. We recognized the need to expand our services to this growing community.

GN: What services does the GIRC offer for international residents? Does it offer any services for Korean residents of Gwangju?

Shin Gyonggu: This is an excellent question. Previously, a migrant workers center operated at the same location as the current GIRC, offering services exclusively to migrant workers, but excluding Korean residents and other international residents not working in the manufacturing and agriculture sectors. The services focused on providing information on visa status and legal issues.

Kim Minsu: That Support Center for Foreign Workers closed at the end of last year due to the national government’s decision to stop funding the 12 migrant workers centers and the 35 small local centers across Korea. However, strong demand from local governments led the central government to support these centers with matching funds from local governments. The Ministry of Employment and Labor called for nine municipal governments to operate the Local Settlement Contest Project for Migrant Workers to provide stable services in accordance with local characteristics led by municipal governments. Gwangju City applied for this and was selected from among 21 candidate cities. The other eight centers that were selected still focus on providing services such as counseling and Korean language classes for only migrant workers, and the names of their centers remain the same as before. However, Gwangju Metropolitan City wanted this center to become a total service center for international residents and a space for exchange between the Korean citizens of Gwangju and its international residents.

When we first reopened the center, only migrant workers visited, but various international residents such as international students, overseas Koreans, and legal and illegal workers visit to receive our counseling service, Korean education, and our training program on living and working in Korea.

Shin Gyonggu: We are delighted to have this new office in the Gwangsan-gu area. Our services aim to be inclusive of the entire international community, and Koreans too. We are pleasantly surprised to see many visitors in addition to migrant workers. We expect more international residents to organize activities and more Koreans to participate in the center’s activities as more people become aware of the new center.

GN: Are the same services offered at both the GIC and the GIRC? Do they partially overlap, or are they completely separate?

Shin Gyonggu: Another good question. The GIRC started serving both migrant and local populations similarly to the GIC. It operates like a replica of the GIC, offering services such as information on visas, Korean language classes, culture classes, one-stop comprehensive services on the first Sunday of each month, and a community support group to foster networking among local and international residents.

Kim Minsu: A primary difference is that language and culture classes at the GIRC are free since they are fully supported by central and local government funding. With time, we would like to see these classes continued but supported by participant fees. Another difference is the language and accessibility. English and Korean are the basic languages at the GIC, but the GIRC communicates with various Asian languages such as Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese, among others. And the GIRC has more foreigners coming from Gwangsan-gu and Gwangju’s outlying areas, while the GIC has more foreigners coming from downtown areas, from the other four districts of the city – Dong-gu, Seo-gu, Nam-gu, and Buk-gu.

GN: Is there anything that the GIC used to do that it no longer does? Or no longer does at the Dong-gu office?

Shin Gyonggu: The GIC’s operations at the Dong-gu office remain largely the same. The only change is that the Global Lounge on the first floor is not open during weekdays because part of the International Collaboration Team has moved to the new office. All other services, including Korean language and culture classes, continue as before. Community activities are as active as ever. For example, the GIC Citizens Choir meets every Saturday morning, and Gwangju Toastmasters meets every Saturday afternoon. The Gwangju News is still produced at the Dong-gu office, and the World Human Rights Cities Forum is managed by the Dong-gu office as well. We are making the most of the two locations: the Dong-gu office with easier access to the downtown area and the Gwangsan-gu office with easier access at the industrial area. However, to operate the two centers, more budget and manpower are required, and our staff is always thinking about how to operate the two centers more efficiently and create synergy.

GN: So, the GIC has added new staff positions with the creation of the GIRC? What do they do?

Shin Gyonggu: Yes, we recruited new staff members to establish a new International Resident Team. We also have many part-time staff who can speak various foreign languages to serve diverse international residents. The GIRC provides the same or similar services as at the Dong-gu office. The major difference is the significantly increased number of visitors. We used to have only a few people with visa and employment issues, but now we see hundreds of weekly visitors with diverse issues. We are pleased to have far more participants in Korean and English classes than before. We have also established a group of international mentors, consisting of both local and international residents, to help new international residents with their initial settlement process. This mentor group promotes community activities to build Gwangju as an inclusive city.

GN: You said that the language classes, while fee-bearing at the GIC, are offered for free at the GIRC?

Shin Gyonggu: Correct. I wanted the language classes to be consistent across both centers, either free or fee-paying. However, government funding requirements necessitate that the GIRC classes be free. In the case of free classes, there are some participants who do not finish their course; therefore, we receive a deposit and refund the deposit at the end of course to more than 80% of the original attendees. The GIC must charge for its classes because the GIRC funding is limited to the Gwangsan-gu center.

Kim Minsu: And the GIC considers participants not only as service beneficiaries, but as individuals who can potentially operate and maintain programs, so it is a managing principal to receive tuition and participation fees.

GN: If I were new to Gwangju and wanted to find out what the GIC had to offer, would it be better to go to the Dong-gu office or the Gwangsan-gu office?

Shin Gyonggu: Another excellent question. Your choice depends on your residence and job location. At the GIRC, you can participate in more fee-free classes and find more professional information on issues related to law, health, and visas, as we have more volunteer experts there to consult with – lawyers and medical doctors, for example. If you are interested in community activities and various cultures in the world through local residents, you may prefer the GIC.

GN: What is the vision shared by the GIC and the GIRC?

Shin Gyonggu: Our goal is to build Gwangju as an inclusive city. The GIC and the GIRC are not merely service providers. The GIC’s success has been due to fee-paying members and volunteers, both local and international. For instance, the GIC has not paid a salary to its executive director, and its most significant product, the Gwangju News, has been produced by volunteers since 2001. At the GIC, international residents are not just service recipients, they have potential abilities that the GIC can nurture for these international residents to be leaders in our local society.

The term “multicultural,” however, has been stigmatized, taking on a negative connotation, and multicultural families are often thought of as being in need of free services. We invite both local and international residents to be service providers and organizers of activities. We warmly invite new and long-term international residents to become the core of this community by joining the GIC and becoming active in existing community groups or organizing new ones.

GN: Thank you, Dr. Shin and Ms. Kim, for your detailed responses to our many questions regarding the newly opened GIRC as well as the GIC!

We hope that this article will help current and future Gwangju residents in understanding what the GIRC has to offer them, and also in knowing that the GIC office in Dong-gu will continue operating in much the same way as we have grown accustomed to. All in all, the GIRC sounds like a great addition to the city for all international residents living in Gwangju. And knowing that we will find numerous familiar faces at the new GIRC, this might be an added reason for readers to head over and take a look at this new facility.

Gwangju International Residents Center (GIRC) Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Monday–Sunday), Lunch Break 12:00–1:00 p.m. Address:  (우62234)광주광역시 광산구 풍영로 145번길 82 (구. 흑석동 510번지)              82 Pungyeong-ro 145-beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Contact Information           Phone: 1644-3828,  Email: girc@gic.or.kr, Website: www.girc.or.kr