Korean immigration policies are very similar to Japanese ones, so several times during our discussions we felt similarities and sympathy as supporters in the same situation. For example, in Japan the campaing for decreasing the number of undocumented foreign residents by half in five years started in 2003, while the same five year campaign launched in Korea last year. Under the current Lee Myung-bak administration the cooperative relationship between the government and NGOs which was established during the previous Roh Moo-hyun administration collapsed. In fact, many NGO staff complained that these are difficult times for support organizations. (However, the immigration policies of the new Japanese administration are still unknown.)
Unfortunately, during our stay we had to face with the unusually cold weather. The maximum temperature on one of the four days was only 5oC. Thanks to the warm rice congee and Jjigae, traditional tea and other delicious Korean food, we managed to have a satisfying trip despite these harsh weather conditions.
