7March 2024 - Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega moderated Session 2 of an International Women's Day 2024 panel on Women in the Workplace on 7 March 2024.

Divided into two sessions, Session 1 of the Panel discussed the Struggles of Korean Women in the Workplace. Session 2, which Ambassador Dizon-de Vega moderated, discussed the "Challenges Faced by Immigrant Women in the Workplace in South Korea".

The conference was organized by the Mission of the European Union to the Republic of Korea in celebration of International Women's Day and was held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza.

EU Ambassador Maria Castillo Fernandez welcomed participants to the forum by saying International Women's Day is a day of celebration and a day of action, and the forum encourages women to speak up on women's empowerment and challenges that need to be addressed.

In Session 2, Ambassador Dizon-De Vega was joined by panelists Ms. Jasmine Lee, a member of the National Assembly, Ms. Youngah Kim, Executive Director, Migration to Asia Peace, and Ms. Cassandra Talbot, freelancer and former European Chamber of Commerce manager.

The panel discussed the challenges experienced by migrant women in South Korea. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega affirmed the importance of the topic, highlighting the "current trend of the feminization of the migrant workforce in Korea, based on the ever-increasing number of migrant women joining the workforce." She also emphasized the critical importance of evidence-based research to support efforts to empower migrant women in Korea.

Ms. Jasmine B. Lee, who is also the first and only ethnically Filipino representative in the National Assembly, emphasized the importance of proportional representation in the legislative for migrant women and other minorities, as well as challenges in politics, gender, and culture often affecting the presence of minorities in South Korea. Ms. Youngah Kim from civil society highlighted policy gaps that prohibit refugees and migrants from finding quality work and how the lack of social support disempowers them to start new lives in South Korea. Ms. Cassandra Talbot discussed the next-generation migrant workforce, noting that they are women trained and educated in Korea and it is important to make sure that their skills are fully utilized.

At the end of the engaging session, both the panel and the audience agreed that the face of South Korea is changing as it now includes more migrant women. The community, including both the public and private sectors, need to take an inclusive and all-encompassing approach to big-picture thinking to solve, engage, and address the challenges and opportunities that come with this change. END