Korea//mike1st/mark2nd

By JASON BOOTH

Staff Reporter

Looking to flee their homeland’s worst recession in decades, Koreans are coming to Los Angeles in search of work sometimes legally and sometimes not.

While the numbers have not been quantified by local or federal authorities, an influx numbering well into the thousands is being detected by business sources throughout Koreatown, and it has resulted in an employment market flush with cheap labor.

In response, the State Department is making it more difficult for Koreans to enter this country, according to several members of the local Korean community.

“A lot more Koreans are coming here, especially young people,” said Harrison Kim, executive director of the Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles. “Although they suffer hardship, they have a greater opportunity to succeed than if they stay in Korea.”

Los Angeles has the largest Korean population outside of Korea, and for years it has been a popular destination for legal immigration. But the volume of incoming job-seekers surged last year after the South Korean currency collapsed and the International Monetary Fund imposed harsh economic reforms.

“Following the IMF economic reforms in Korea, you are seeing rapid unemployment and political instability,” said Roy Hong, executive director of the Korean Immigrant Workers Advocacy. “As a result there is a push factor that is driving people out of that country and into the U.S.”

Immigration & Naturalization Service officials acknowledge they do not have the resources to track such an inflow. But sources in the Koreatown business community say their presence is already being felt, especially among smaller businesses.

“The only jobs they can find are in the underground economy,” said Kim. “They work for small-time contractors who pay cash.”

Korean-owned house-painting and janitorial services that were having difficulty finding enough workers just a few months ago now have waiting lists.

The kitchens of Koreatown restaurants that once depended on Latino workers are now staffed by Koreans.

Even the Koreatown hostess bars that once had to advertise in the Philippines for waitresses now have an ample supply of Korean women to employ at cut-rate wages.

“Korean bars used to have a hard time finding hostesses,” said one longtime Koreatown businesswoman. “Now they have too many. Do they all have work permits? I don’t think so.”

Some business sources fear that the new arrivals will damage efforts to better the plight of workers in Koreatown.

“These people that are coming out now may hamper our attempt to improve working conditions,” said Hong. “There is even more competition for unskilled, low-paying jobs.”

He noted that such workers are usually happy to work for well below the minimum wage, with undocumented restaurant workers in Koreatown getting paid as little as $2.50 an hour.

House painters do a little better, typically earning $50 a day, in cash. Those days, however, can last 12 hours or more.

A year ago, the services of a Korean housekeeper would have cost about $1,500 cash per month. Today such a worker whose chores include daily housecleaning, cooking, child care, errand running and more is available for around $800 a month.

Despite the low pay, Koreans see L.A. as a compelling improvement over Seoul. After years of double-digit growth, the South Korean economy is contracting. Unlike previous recessions, when Korean companies tried to maintain their policies of lifetime employment, many are now instituting widespread layoffs.

Compounding the impact is that South Korea does not have an established social security system. As a result, the unemployed often become a financial burden on their relatives. South Korea also lacks bankruptcy protection laws, so bankrupt business owners could lose their entire savings, even their homes.

For now, there is relatively little chance that an illegal alien from South Korea will be apprehended by the INS. It is nearly impossible for immigration officials to locate illegal workers in Koreatown, according to John McAllister, assistant district director for investigations for the seven-county district stretching from San Luis Obispo to the Orange-San Diego county line.

The INS typically ignores businesses with 10 or fewer workers, where such immigrants are most likely employed. “If people knew how few agents we actually have out there, it might encourage them to break the rules,” he said.

Even illegal aliens working for larger businesses are unlikely to be discovered.

In the last year, the INS has effectively given up pre-emptive raids on businesses. Instead, it has instituted a policy of contacting business owners and asking them to submit a list of their employees’ names. The INS then screens those names to ferret out illegal workers. Raids are now limited only to those companies found to be flagrantly violating INS rules.

A more effective gatekeeper is the American embassy in Seoul, which is becoming increasingly vigilant in its issuance of visas. According to various sources, it is now more difficult for South Koreans to obtain visas to enter the United States than at any time in years.

“The economic situation in a particular country will obviously affect who qualifies for a visa,” said State Department spokeswoman Maria Rudensky. “If someone has a good job, an apartment, a spouse they are more likely to get a visa. It is different for someone who has recently been laid off and is forced to move in with their parents. If more such people are applying, then we will issue less visas.”

Until recently, visa applicants only needed to prove they had a legitimate reason to visit the United States and enough money to cover their expenses. Now applicants must prove they have compelling reasons to return to Korea, such as a job with a major Korean company, property ownership and family ties.

“The consulate in Seoul knows what is going on in Korea,” said Inja Kim, a Koreatown-based immigration lawyer. “Things that you didn’t have to prove before you now have to prove. If you don’t have family and don’t work for a prominent company, they think that you are not going to come back.”

Under recently enacted INS rules, anyone who overstays a visa by six months to a year is barred from re-entering the United States for three years. If they overstay for more than a year, they can’t come back for a decade.

Why take the chance? Simple economics. Even if the illegal Korean immigrants earn a minimum wage in Los Angeles before being deported, those earnings will have been boosted by the devaluation of the Korean won against the U.S. dollar.

And for those who prosper, working their way up from manual labor to possibly owning a shop, there is always the possibility that they can secure a work permit down the line.

“The word from Washington, D.C., is that they don’t want people who are going to be a drain on government resources, such as health and welfare,” said Kim. “But if you can prove that you are a benefit to the economy, it is quite possible to get a green card.”