Description

In recent years, Toronto has emerged as an important destination for North Korean refugees. Yet, information about North Korean refugees in Toronto remains scarce and unreliable. This presents us with an incomplete picture of how the refugees interact with the government, NGOs, and the Toronto community at large. Dr. James C. Simeon, Director of the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University, will start the conversation with an overview of Canada’s refugee policies and present issues they face – with a particular focus on Toronto. Next, the Director of the Romero House, Dr. Mary Jo Leddy will compare the situation of North Korean refugees in Canada to refugees of other nationalities. She will also discuss the involvement of religious organizations in the settlement of refugees in Toronto. Lastly, HanVoice Executive Director Randall Baran-Chong will present his NGO’s advocacy for North Korean refugees in Toronto. This workshop will address the current situation of North Korean refugees in Toronto in the context of the overall status of refugee issues in Canada.

Dr. James C. Simeon is the Acting Director at the Center for Refugee Studies at York University, Toronto, and Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at the Faculty of Liberal Arts. He was previously Executive Director of the International Association of Refugee Law Judiges, and he served on the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Dr. Simeon specializes in Public Policy and Administration, International Refugee Law, International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law. He holds a Ph.D from York University.

Dr. Mary Jo Leddy is the Director of the Romero House Community for Refugees, based in Toronto. The organization assists with the resettlement of refugees and provides advocacy services to more than 6,000 individuals and families. Dr. Leddy is also a lecturer at Regis College, UofT, an accomplished author, and a member of the Order of Canada. She is the author of At the Border Called Hope: Where Refugees Are Neighbors, which was a finalist of the 1997 Trillium Award. She holds a Ph.D from the University of Toronto.

Mr. Randall Baran-Chong is the Executive Director of HanVoice, a Toronto-based NGO that works in advocacy and awareness about North Korean refugees in Canada. The organization is the largest Canadian NGO operating in this field. Mr. Baran-Chong is also a board member of the Chinese Canadian National Council (Toronto chapter). He was Chair of the 10th International Conference on North Korean Human Rights and Refugees, the largest of its kind in 2010. He is a Manager at nD Insight, a management consultancy, and holds a degree in Economics and Latin American Studies from the University of Toronto.

Description

Korea has seen rapid economic growth and social development with relatively low inequality in the last 5 decades. Since 1997, however, income inequality and bipolarization in the economy have increased while the potential growth rate has decreased. Therefore, Korea faces two intertwined fundamental challenges of sustaining economic growth and ameliorating bipolarization. This paper analyzes the status of the Korean economy in terms of inclusive growth indicators, and suggests some policy implications to respond to the challenges – productive employment, income inequality and poverty, human capital, and social protection for inclusive growth. The paper also provides an explanation of financial exclusion and microcredit programs in Korea, and suggests policy implications for financial inclusion.

Young Youn Lee is a Visiting Professor at the Centre for the Study of Korea, Asian Institute, University of Toronto. He is a Professor of International Trade and Business at the Kangwon National University. Dr. Lee received his BA and MA from the Korea University, and PhD from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1985. He worked as a research fellow at the Overseas Economic Research Institute affiliated with the Korea Trade Association, Kangwon Development Research Institute, and as an evaluation administrator of the University Education Association of Korea. He served as the Dean of Office of Planning and Coordination and Asia-Pacific Cooperation Academy of Kangwon National University. Dr. Lee also served as the President of Northeast Asia Economic Association of Korea, President of the Accreditation Board for International Trade Education of Korea, and Chairman of the Smile Microcredit Bank Gyeonggi-guri Br. He published several books as a coauthor (Principles of International Trade and Business, Korean Ways of Economic Development: Past, Present, and Future, and Digital Monetary Economics) as well as articles related to international trade, welfare economics, and economic development.