Why is the legal status of border-crossers a concern for all of us? The principle of “equal pay for equal work,” which even AI clearly recognizes in the pilot program for migrant domestic workers, plays out in various ways in reality. How does this principle get reshaped in practice? This discussion invites us to break the common perception that migrants are “different and should be different” in legal status, while uncovering the ways in which the fundamental rights of native residents and migrants are interconnected. By critically reflecting on Korea’s immigration policies, which teeter between sovereignty and human rights, we will explore what it truly means to cultivate a multicultural civic consciousness. You are invited here for dialogue, where we will gain a deeper understanding of the legal status of migrants and examine how it is intricately linked to all of our lives—here and now.

Miae Lee (Research Professor, Tamna Cultural Research Institute, Jeju National University)

Dr. Miae Lee earned her Ph.D. in Sociology/Demography (France) with a comparative study on migrant domestic workers in France, China, and South Korea. She is currently a research professor at the Tamna Cultural Research Institute, Jeju National University, leading a research project titled Discourses and Policies on the Reproduction of Migrants’ Lives: Comparative Study on Migrants and Ethnic Koreans in Korea in Terms of ‘Survival Circuits’ and ‘Upper Circuits’ of Care Work and Labor (National Research Foundation of Korea, 2024–2029).

She also teaches immigration law, migrant labor policies, and cultural diversity at Chung-Ang University. Her primary research interests include intersectional inequalities shaped by gender, class, “race”/ethnicity, and generation, with a focus on youth, migrant workers, and migrant communities.