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  • 2022-05-18 (xsd:date)
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  • Posts share misleading claims about benefits for ethnically Korean Chinese nationals in South Korea (en)
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  • A Facebook post shared dozens of times claims that ethnically Korean Chinese nationals living in South Korea receive benefits from the South Korean government that are not granted to the country's citizens, including priority admissions to preschools and kindergartens, ATM fee exemptions, and phone bill subsidies. But the claims are misleading: multiple South Korean government spokespersons told AFP the benefits are not granted to non-citizens -- unless they are in a multicultural family. The claim was shared here on April 5, 2022. The Korean-language text in the graphic reads: See how great we have it. The first among some 40 benefits given to the Joseon-jok: 1. Priority admission to government-run preschools; 2. Priority admission to kindergartens run by elementary schools; 3. ATM use fee exemption; 4. Subsidies for communication charges Screenshot of the misleading claim shared on Facebook. Captured on April 12, 2022. Joseon-jok refers to ethnically Korean citizens of China, thousands of whom have migrated to South Korea in search of work. Ethnic Koreans of Chinese nationality are a common target of discrimination in South Korea, where they have been associated with violent crimes. The latest South Korean government statistics from August 2021 show that about 650,000 ethnically Korean Chinese nationals were living in the country. The same graphic was shared on Facebook here , here , here and here . But the claim is misleading. Preschools Admission to public childcare centres, which include preschools and kindergartens, in South Korea is governed by the Child Care Act. Article 28 of the law limits preferential access to preschools to children classified under several categories, such as those living in multicultural or single-parent households, or those with disabled parents. Kindergartens The education ministry's kindergarten admission service website likewise specifies conditions for priority admissions, limiting the benefit to children from low-income families, families of veterans and North Korean refugees. An official overseeing the multicultural family policy at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family told AFP that non-Korean citizens do not receive priority admissions to childcare institutions unless they are classified as part of a multicultural household. Multicultural families are defined by whether they are comprised of immigrants married to a Korean national -- non-Korean citizens who merely live in South Korea are not automatically regarded as a multicultural family member, the official said on April 15, 2022. This definition is supported by the Multicultural Families Support Act , which stipulates that a non-Korean citizen can only be classified as part of a multicultural family if he or she is married to a South Korean citizen. ATM fees According to the country's Financial Services Commission (FSC), ATM fee exemptions are granted to people classified as underprivileged, including families with a single parent, North Korean refugees or recipients of the government's Basic Livelihood Security Programme (BLSP), a government subsidy designed to ensure minimum standards of living to those not eligible to work. The programme is defined in the Basic Living Security Act , which states foreigners are not eligible to receive the programme's benefits unless he or she is married to, or is the parent of, a South Korean citizen. An FSC official confirmed to AFP that the benefits are only available to South Korean citizens. Telecoms charges During the Covid-19 pandemic, the South Korean government provided a 20,000 won subsidy for phone charges to all Korean citizens aged 16 to 34, and those over the age of 65. South Korea's three mobile operators -- KT , SKT and LG U+ -- offer discounted bills to people with disabilities and BLSP benefits recipients. A google reverse image search found the identical photo of a woman seen in the misleading Facebook post published here in a report by Seoul-based daily Chosun Ilbo on May 4, 2019, about the growing size of China Town across South Korea. The report made no mention of alleged benefits for ethnically Korean Chinese nationals living in the country. (en)
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