Reflections on South Korean Immigration Studies and the Interrelationship Between Immigration and Social Transformation

The purposes of this paper are twofold: the first being to recognize the enormous influence Dr. Stephen Castles has had on migration studies in South Korea, and the second being the exploration of the interaction between social transformation and migration in Korea. The role played by Dr. Castles in the organization of a research network on immigration in Korea, the activities of this research network, and its eventual expansion into a pivotal research association are highlighted. The second aspect of this paper relates to the application of one of Dr. Castles' principle themes to the Korean case. This section focuses on the interaction between social transformation and migration, which Dr. Castles and his research team had previously explored at a local level, with the novelty of this study being the focus on the national perspective. In so doing, the trends of immigration and policy change in Korea are explored. In particular, whether Korea's immigration policy is ethno-centric and/or multicultural are examined, and the importance of trigger and resonance, with a certain affinity at each stage over the past several decades, are brought to the fore.