KUALA LUMPUR - As the number of foreigners and multicultural residents in Gyeongju rises, the city government is enhancing its settlement support system.

On December 7, Gyeongju City announced it will expand a comprehensive support system covering education, counselling, job placement, and family assistance to help marriage immigrants and foreign residents stabilise their daily lives and integrate into the community.

Statistics from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety show that, as of the end of October, Gyeongju had 6,827 members of multicultural households, including 2,142 marriage immigrants or naturalised citizens and 1,926 multicultural children.

During the same period, the number of foreign residents, including overseas Koreans and Koryoin, reached 20,698, representing 9.7 per cent of the total population, the second-highest proportion in North Gyeongsang Province.

The city said the rapid rise in multicultural and foreign populations has made settlement support increasingly urgent.

This year, Gyeongju City is allocating 1.9 billion won to implement 23 programmes for multicultural families and 11 programmes for foreign residents.

Next year, support will expand with the introduction of the "Whole Family Embrace Project," which targets vulnerable and at-risk families for counselling, education, and cultural programmes.

The "Hope Connection Project" will also launch, assisting families accompanying skilled workers holding the region-specific E-7-4R visa.

The Gyeongju City Family Center, the main settlement support institution, operates programmes from initial adaptation to self-reliance.

Its initiatives include interpretation and translation services, Korean language education, home-visit learning, certification and job training, and bilingual instructor training to help establish independence.

Support for pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing is also expanding, with the Mom Coach home-visit programme, joint childcare centres, and parental education services.

Child learning support includes language development guidance, educational and activity fee assistance, crisis family home builder services, and bilingual classes.

Policies for foreign residents are being strengthened, with Gyeongju and Yeongcheon cities receiving the province’s largest quota this year which consist of 130 slots for the E-7-4R visa conversion recommendation system, with 101 individuals recommended by the end of November.

The city said this initiative is important for providing an institutional foundation to help foreign workers in industrial sectors stay long-term and settle with their families.

Gyeongju operates four counselling and support centres for foreign workers, offering labour, legal, and daily life guidance, interpretation and translation in 13 languages, Korean classes, safety training, and rest areas.

Annual events to promote community interaction, such as foreign worker festivals, soccer tournaments, and foreign student security volunteer programmes, continue to be held.

Gyeongju City mayor Jun Nakyoung highlighted the importance of foreign residents amid the city’s population decline, describing them as valuable neighbours and reliable partners for the local industry.

"Attracting skilled workers and supporting family settlement will help sustain the local economy and promote population inflow,” he said.