Korea to fingerprint foreign visitors

From: The Korea Herald | Nov. 04, 2009

The Cabinet approved a law revision Tuesday to require all foreigners entering Korea to be fingerprinted and photographed from 2012, Yonhap News said.

Under the revised immigration law, all foreigners over the age of 17, excluding diplomats and those traveling on official duties, must have their fingerprints scanned and be photographed during entry procedures.

The revision will be submitted to parliament and is expected to take effect as early as the second half of 2012, officials said.

While the new requirement has raised concerns about possible human rights violations, officials said it is primarily intended to regulate illegal entry by foreigners for safety reasons. The United States and Japan have already adopted similar fingerprinting policies.

"We think the new policy does not necessarily discriminate against foreigners. Koreans are also required to provide their fingerprints and personal information when they apply for resident registration cards at the age of 17," said Park Cho-hyon, an official at the Justice Ministry.

The revision also will ease regulations on filing change of workplace for foreign professionals to within 15 days of the change.

Foreign workers are currently required to obtain permission from the government prior to changing jobs.