Current Issue

[ Article ]
OMNES: The Journal of Multicultural Society - Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 1-25
ISSN: 2093-5498 (Print)
Print publication date 31 Jul 2022
Received 23 May 2022 Revised 28 Jun 2022 Accepted 12 Jul 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14431/omnes.2022.07.12.2.01
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Vietnamese migrants in South Korea
Thi Thanh Lan Nguyen* ; Van Cuong Nguyen
Department of Liberal Arts, Wonkwang University, Korea
Department of Korean Studies, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, Vietnam
Department of Nursing, Hanyang University, Korea
* First author and corresponding author

COVID-19 broke out in Wuhan, China, then spread vigorously around the world, seriously affecting the economy, society, and all aspects of life, and threatening the lives of humanity. Foreign migrants, who are vulnerable due to different residence statuses and living far from their families and home countries, face problems such as lack of income, comfort, basic food, stress and anxiety, and lack of psychological support. This study explores the impacts of COVID-19 on 15 Vietnamese migrants living in Korea via in-depth interviewss. The results show that many migrants on short-term visas, international students, and married migrants fell into psychological crisis due to stress during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, fear of unemployment, and unstable incomes. In particular, Vietnamese business people find themselves in challenging business situations, including bankruptcy. However, the migrants working in high education jobs, such as researchers and lecturers, have stable jobs and are less vulnerable to the economic and psychological impact. This study suggests long-term measures and strategies by the Korean Government to support foreign immigrants under COVID-19 and minimize the negative impacts of the pandemic.