Article 1 (Purpose) The purpose of this Ordinance is to establish the administrative support measures necessary to ensure the stable family life and independent living of foreign residents and multicultural families residing in Seoul Metropolitan City, thereby enabling them to settle down as members of the local community.

Article 2 (Definitions) The definitions of the terms used in this Ordinance shall be as follows:
1. “Foreign resident” refers to a foreigner who has resided in Seoul Metropolitan City (hereinafter referred to as the “City”) for more than ninety (90) days and/or a person who has acquired Korean citizenship and their children.
2. “Multicultural family” refers to a family residing within the City limits and falling under any of the following categories.
(a) A family consisting of a marriage immigrant as defined in Article 2, Paragraph 3 of the Framework Act on the Treatment of Foreigners Residing in the Republic of Korea and a person who has acquired Korean nationality in accordance with Articles 2 through 4 of the Nationality Act
(b) A family consisting of a person who has acquired Korean nationality in accordance with Articles 3 and 4 of the Nationality Act and a person who has acquired Korean nationality in accordance with Articles 2 through 4 of the same Act
3. “Foreign resident and multicultural family support organization” refers to a non-profit corporation or organization established for the main business of supporting foreign residents and multicultural families.

Article 3 (Status of Foreign Residents and Multicultural Families) Unless otherwise provided for in laws, regulations, or other Ordinances, foreign residents and multicultural families may use the property and public facilities of the City and receive various City administrative benefits in the same way as other residents.

Article 4 (Responsibilities of Mayor) (1) The Seoul Metropolitan City Mayor (hereinafter referred to as the “Mayor”) shall promote appropriate policies to ensure that foreign residents and multicultural families enjoy a stable family life and early settlement in the local community.
(2) The Mayor shall establish a department dedicated to implementing support policies for foreign residents and multicultural families, and prepare measures to secure the necessary human resources and funds accordingly. <Amended on May 14, 2015>

Article 5 (Master Plan for Foreign Residents and Multicultural Families Policies) (1) The Mayor shall establish a basic plan for foreign residents and multicultural family policies (hereinafter referred to as the “basic plan”) every five (5) years.
(2) The master plan shall include the following:
1. Basic goals and directions of policies for foreign residents and multicultural families;
2. Tasks, methods, and timing for promoting policies designed to support foreign residents and multicultural families;
3. Matters concerning the procurement and operation of financial resources;
4. Any other matters deemed necessary to promote effective policies to support foreign residents and multicultural families.
(3) The basic plan under Paragraph 1 shall be finalized after deliberation by the Foreign Residents and Multicultural Families Support Consultative Council pursuant to Article 8.

Article 6 (Implementation Plan by Year) (1) The Mayor shall establish, implement, and evaluate the Foreign Resident and Multicultural Family Implementation Plan (hereinafter referred to as the “Implementation Plan”) every year.
(2) The implementation plan shall include the following items. <Amended on May 14, 2015>
1. Vision and goals for the provision of support and assistance to foreign residents and multicultural families;
2. Policies designed to support foreign residents and multicultural families;
3. Securing of funds for projects to support foreign residents and multicultural families;
4. Education and publicity aimed at fostering a sound international marriage culture and increasing understanding of multiculturalism;
5. Matters concerning the establishment of a system for linking services and promoting cooperation between organizations to ensure the efficient promotion of support projects for foreign residents and multicultural families;
6. Matters concerning the establishment of a cooperative system with private organizations;
7. Any other matters deemed necessary to support foreigners and multicultural families.
(3) The Mayor shall establish an implementation plan based on the basic plan pursuant to Article 5, taking into consideration the contents of the basic plan and the implementation plan established pursuant to the Framework Act on the Treatment of Foreigners Residing in the Republic of Korea and the Multicultural Families Support Act.
(4) The implementation plan under Paragraph 1 shall be finalized after deliberation by the Foreign Resident and Multicultural Family Support Consultative Council pursuant to Article 8.
(5) The Mayor shall reflect the results of the fact-finding surveys under Article 17, Paragraph 3 when establishing the implementation plan under Paragraph 1. <Newly established on May 3, 2018>

Article 7 (Details and Scope of Support) (1) The scope of support for foreign residents shall be as follows: <Amended on Mar. 28, 2019, Sep. 26, 2019, Jul. 20, 2021, Oct. 17, 2022, Jan. 3, 2025, Mar. 27, 2025, Sep. 29, 2025>
1. Education and publicity to prevent unreasonable discrimination against foreign residents and protect their human rights;
2. Education, provision of information, and counseling on basic literacy and knowledge required for daily living by foreign residents;
3. Provision of education on Korean language, society, and culture for foreign residents;
4. Systems and policies necessary to improve the legal status and treatment of professional foreign workers
5. Holding of diverse cultural and sports events;
6. Administrative services necessary for the business operations of foreigners and foreign investment companies;
7. Child care and education programs for the children of foreign residents;
8. Projects to maintain equal family relationships, including family counseling, couples education, parent education, and family life education for foreign residents;
9. Prevention of domestic violence within the families of foreign residents and protection and support for foreign residents who have suffered domestic violence;
10. Provision of information on living convenience, emergency relief, and disaster preparedness;
11. Improvement of foreign workers’ working conditions and welfare;
12. Protection of the human rights of foreign workers;
13. Provision of foreign language interpretation and translation services to foreign residents;
14. Other matters deemed necessary by the Mayor.
(2) The scope of support for foreign residents shall be as follows. <Amended on Mar. 14, 2019, Sep. 17, 2019, Jul. 15, 2021, Oct. 3, 2022, Mar. 15, 2024, Jan. 3, 2025, Mar. 27, 2025>
1. Education and publicity to increase understanding of multicultural families, prevent unreasonable discrimination against them, and protect their human rights;
2. Provision of basic information necessary for life for married immigrants, etc. and education and counseling on adapting to life in Korea;
3. Education on Korean language, society, and culture for marriage immigrants, etc.
4. Implementation of vocational education/training, and job linkage for marriage immigrants, etc.
5. Projects to maintain equal family relationships, including family counseling, couples education, parent education, and family life education for multicultural families;
6. Prevention of domestic violence within multicultural families and protection and support for married immigrants who have suffered from domestic violence;
7. Provision of medical services including nutritional and health education, dispatch of prenatal and postnatal helpers, and health checkups to help married immigrants and others live healthy lives;
8. Provision of foreign language interpretation and translation services to married immigrants, etc.;
9. Provision of information on evacuation procedures in the event of a disaster;
10. Legal service support to respond to unreasonable measures targeting multicultural families;
11. Protection and support for children from multicultural families who have suffered physical, mental, or sexual violence or other forms of cruel treatment, etc.;
12. Other matters deemed necessary by the Mayor.
(3) The Mayor may provide the necessary education and publicity to citizens to assist them in recognizing and respecting the cultural diversity of foreign residents and multicultural families. <Newly established on Oct. 17, 2022>
(4) The Mayor shall prepare the budget necessary for carrying out the matters related to each subparagraph of Paragraphs 1 and 2, as well as Paragraph 3. <Amended on Oct. 17, 2022>
(5) The Mayor may provide incentives to foreign residents and marriage immigrants, etc. who complete the courses in subparagraph 3 of paragraph (1) and subparagraph 3 of paragraph (3). <Added on Mar. 27, 2025>
(6) Detailed matters for the provision of the incentives provided under paragraph (5), such as the course completion requirement, procedure, payment criteria, etc. shall be as determined by the Mayor.<Added on Mar. 27, 2025>
[Title amended on Oct. 17, 2022]

Article 7-2 (Support for Foreign Resident Families and Multicultural Children) (1) The Mayor may provide support for the following matters to facilitate the adjustment of foreign resident families and children who are members of multicultural families to their local communities and to enable their healthy development:<Amended on Mar. 27, 2025>
1. Educational support to assist their adaptation to school life and improve their language capabilities
2. Support for language education in the native languages of fathers and mothers who are marriage immigrants, etc., such as in teaching materials and learning necessary to enhance their linguistic abilities;
3. Support for the social and cultural adaptation of children who immigrate into the country;
4. Support for costs incurred in operating childcare courses for infants and young children in daycare centers in accordance with the Child Care Act;
5. Other forms of child care and educational support recognized and deemed necessary by the Mayor.
However, if support is already being provided under other Acts and subordinate statutes or municipal ordinances, duplicate support shall not be provided.
[This Article Newly Inserted on Mar. 15, 2024]

Article 7-3 (Support for Parent Education in Foreign Resident Families and Multicultural Families, Etc.) The Mayor may provide support for the following matters to enable parents in foreign resident families and multicultural families to settle into their social roles and fulfill their roles as parents:
1. Administrative and life education to facilitate their adjustment to Korean society;
2. Linguistic education to facilitate communication;
3. Provision of information needed to educate children;
4. Prospective parent education;
5. Other forms of education deemed necessary by the Mayor.
[This Article Newly Inserted on Mar. 27, 2025]

Article 8 (Establishment and Operation of a Consultative Council) (1) In order to efficiently promote support policies for foreign residents and multicultural families, the Mayor shall establish the Seoul Metropolitan City Foreign Resident and Multicultural Family Support Consultative Council (hereinafter referred to as the “Consultative Council”) under the Mayor.
(2) The Consultative Council shall be composed of no more than fifteen (15) members, including one (1) Chairperson and one (1) Vice-Chairperson. <Amended on May 14, 2015>
(3) The Consultative Council shall include the Vice Mayor I for Administrative Affairs and the Director of the Office/Department in Charge of Foreign Resident Support as ex officio members, while the other members shall be commissioned by the Mayor from among the following persons.
1. Members of the Seoul Metropolitan City Council;
2. Officials from related organizations such as the Board of Education, Employment Stability Center, and Immigration Office, and local police stations;
3. Organizations, institutions, and academic experts related to the provision of support to foreign residents and multicultural families;
4. Foreign residents and multicultural family representatives who have resided in the City for more than one (1) year.
(4) The Consultative Council shall include the Vice-Mayor I for Administrative Affairs as the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson shall be elected from among the members.
(5) The term of office of commissioned members shall be two (2) years, and they may be reappointed only twice. <Amended on May 14, 2015>
(6) In order to handle the affairs of the Consultative Council, one (1) administrative secretary shall be appointed. The administrative secretary shall be the head of the department or the person in charge of the Consultative Council. <Amended on May 14, 2015>

Article 9 (Functions of the Consultative Council) The Consultative Council shall deliberate on the following matters related to the provision of support to foreign residents and multicultural families.
1. Matters concerning the establishment and evaluation of the basic plan;
2. Matters concerning the establishment and evaluation of implementation plans;
3. Matters concerning mutual cooperation on regional common issues of support projects;
4. Matters concerning the realization of local communities;
5. Other matters deemed necessary by the Mayor or Chairperson.

Article 10 (Disqualification of Members) A person who falls under any of the following may not become a Commissioner of the Consultative Council. <Amended on May 14, 2015>
1. A person under adult guardianship, a person under limited guardianship, or a person who has been declared bankrupt and has not been rehabilitated;
2. A person who has been sentenced to imprisonment or a heavier penalty; and for whom two (2) years have not elapsed since the date the execution of the sentence was terminated (including cases where the execution is deemed to have been terminated) or exempted;
3. A person who has been sentenced to a suspension of execution of imprisonment or a heavier penalty and is still subject to the suspended sentence;
4. A person who has been sentenced to a fine, and for whom two (2) years have not passed since the date the sentence became final.

Article 11 (Exclusion and Recusal of Members) (1) If a member of the Consultative Council falls under any of the following items, they shall be excluded from deliberation and advisory on the relevant item of agenda.
1. In cases where a member has performed or is performing consulting services or research in connection with the item of agenda subject to deliberation and advisory
2. In cases where a member is recognized as having a direct or indirect interest in relation to the item of agenda subject to deliberation and advice
(2) In any of the cases falling under each subparagraph of Paragraph 1, the member concerned must request to recuse him or herself from deliberation or advice on the relevant item of agenda.
(3) If any of the grounds for disqualification listed in each subparagraph of Paragraph 1 arise, the Chairperson shall decide whether to disqualify the member in question, either ex officio or upon the member’s own request for recusal.

Article 12 (Dismissal of Members) (1) The Mayor may dismiss a member even before the expiration of the term of office pursuant to Article 8-2 of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Ordinance on the Establishment and Operation of Various Committees. <Amended on Jul. 24, 2023>
(2) The Mayor shall dismiss a member of the Consultative Council if the member falls under any of the provisions of Article 10 herein.

Article 13 (Chairperson) The Chairperson shall represent the Consultative Council and oversee the work of the Consultative Council. If the Chairperson is unable to perform his or her duties, the Vice-Chairperson shall act on the Chairperson’s behalf and perform such duties.

Article 14 (Meetings) (1) The meetings of the Consultative Council are divided into regular meetings that are held twice a year and special meetings that may be convened when the Chairperson deems it necessary. <Amended on May 14, 2015>
(2) Consultative Council meetings shall begin when a majority of the registered members are present, and resolutions shall be passed with the approval of a majority of the members present.
(3) Consultative Council meetings must be faithfully recorded in the records of meetings, etc., and must be open to the public in principle.

Article 15 (Hearing of Opinions, Etc.) The Consultative Council may, if necessary, invite the relevant government officials or experts to attend meetings to hear their opinions or request the submission of necessary materials.

Article 16 (Stipends for Members) Regarding the stipends for members who attend meetings of the Consultative Council, the provisions of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Ordinance on the Payment of Committee Stipends and Travel Expenses shall apply

Article 17 (Promotion of Policy Measure Projects) (1) The Mayor may establish and promote an annual plan for environmental improvement projects in areas with a high concentration of foreign residents and multicultural families.
(2) The Mayor may establish a a system of linkage and cooperation between public and private sector services to efficiently promote support projects for foreign residents and multicultural families.
(3) The Mayor may conduct necessary fact-finding surveys in order to obtain statistical data on foreign residents and multicultural families residing in the City, and surveys on the status of residential areas in which foreign residents and multicultural families are concentrated.
(4) The Mayor may prepare the budget necessary to carry out policy projects pursuant to Paragraphs 1 through 3.
(5) When promoting policy projects pursuant to Paragraphs 1 through 3, the Mayor may request necessary cooperation from local public institutions. In such cases, a public institution that is requested to cooperate shall cooperate unless there exist special reasons for not doing so.

Article 18 (Establishment and Operation of Foreign Resident Support Facilities, Etc.) (1) The Mayor may establish and operate foreign resident support facilities (hereinafter referred to as “support facilities”) to promote projects related to each item under Paragraph 1 of Article 7 hereinabove. <Amended on Jul. 20, 2021>
(2) In order to operate the support facilities, the Mayor may request the relevant administrative agency, corporation, or organization to dispatch civil servants or employees of the corporation or organization etc. to work at the support facilities.
(3) If the Mayor deems it necessary, a part or all of the support facilities or work pursuant to Paragraph 1 may be entrusted to a corporation, organization, or institution in accordance with the provisions of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Ordinance on the Entrustment of Administrative Work to the Private Sector. <Newly established on Jul. 20, 2021>
[Title amended on Jul. 20, 2021]

Article 19 (Establishment and Operation of Multicultural Family Support Centers, etc.) (1) The Mayor may establish and operate multicultural family support centers (hereinafter referred to as “support centers”) to promote projects related to each item under Paragraph 2 of Article 7 hereinabove. <Amended on Jul. 20, 2021>
(2) Matters concerning the establishment and operation of the support centers pursuant to Paragraph 1 shall be governed by Article 12 of the Multicultural Families Support Act, and the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the same Act. <Amended on Jul. 20, 2021>
(3) In order to operate such multicultural family support centers efficiently, the Mayor may entrust their operation to a private institution falling under any of the subparagraphs of Article 12-2, Paragraph 1 of the Enforcement Decree of the Multicultural Families Support Act. <Amended on Jul. 20, 2021>
(4) The period of entrustment under Paragraph 3 shall be five (5) years; however, the contract may be renewed once if the Mayor deems it necessary. <Amended on Jul. 20, 2021>
(5) Other regulations related to civil outsourcing shall be governed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government Ordinance on the Establishment and Operation of Social Welfare Facilities. <Amended on Jul. 20, 2021>

Article 20 (Operational Support for Facilities and Centers, Etc.) (1) In cases where the Mayor entrusts a support facility or support center in accordance with Article 18, Paragraph 3 or Article 19, Paragraph 3, the entrusted person or entity may receive financial support for operating costs within the scope of the budget. <Amended on May 14, 2015, Jan. 5, 2017, Jul. 20, 2021>
(2) The Mayor shall provide guidance and inspection of the overall facilities and operations of each support facility or support center at least once per year, and, if necessary, may request or inspect reports or documents related to its work, and the trustee of each support facility or support center shall cooperate with any guidance and supervision work. <Newly established on Jul. 20, 2021>
[Title amended on Jul. 20, 2021]

Article 21 (Support for Foreign Resident and Multicultural Family Support Organizations) The Mayor may provide administrative and financial support necessary for the activities of foreign resident and multicultural family support organizations.

Article 22 (Together Day) (1) In order to embrace foreign residents and multicultural families and to strengthen the meaning of cultural diversity, the Mayor shall designate May 20th of each year as "Together Day" in accordance with Article 19 of the Framework Act on the Treatment of Foreigners Residing in the Republic of Korea and shall designate a one (1) week period as "Together Week," starting from Together Day.
(2) The Mayor may hold the following events to commemorate Together Day and Together Week pursuant to Paragraph 1.
1. Commemorative ceremonies and cultural, artistic, and sports events;
2. Research presentations and international exchange events;
3. Encouragement of individuals and organizations of merit (including foreign residents and multicultural families);
4. Other events to raise local awareness of foreign residents and multicultural families.

Article 23 (Official Commendation) (1) The Mayor may award commendations to individuals, corporations, and organizations that are recognized as having made significant contributions to the nation and local communities by engaging in activities to support foreign residents and multicultural families. <Amended on May 14, 2015>
(2) The procedures required for commendations shall be conducted in conformance with the Seoul Metropolitan Government Ordinance on Commendations. <Amended on Jan. 5, 2017>

Article 24 (Participation of Foreign Residents in Policy) (1) The Mayor must endeavor to enable foreign residents and multicultural families to participate in the making of municipal policies.
(2) The Mayor must create an environment in which foreign residents and multicultural families can actively participate in community service activities.

Article 25 (Enforcement Rule) Matters necessary for the enforcement of this Ordinance shall be prescribed by the enforcement rules of the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
[Moved from Article 26, Previous Article 25 deleted <Jul. 20, 2021>]

Same as left

Addendum <No. 9799, Sep. 29, 2025>
This Ordinance shall enter into force on the date of its promulgation.