In a move that should have been more publicized, the government last week announced a set of measures aimed at attracting more foreign talent into the country.

Under a start-up assistance program, foreign entrepreneurs who set up a preferably technology-based business on their own or in partnership with local counterparts will be eligible for a subsidy of up to 50 million won ($44,370). With a detailed plan set to be available in the second half, the government will select 10 businesses to benefit from the program this year.

Regulations on visa issuance will also be relaxed. The D-8 visa, which has been reserved for those who set up venture companies here, will be issued to those who earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree in the natural sciences or engineering at Korean schools or hold intellectual property rights.

In a bid to allow more talented compatriots abroad to work in Korea, the government will ease relevant regulations to make it easier for them to hold multiple citizenships.

The new rules came out as part of efforts by President Park Geun-hye’s administration to boost the sluggish economy by creating new business opportunities and jobs through the combination of information and communications technology and innovative ideas. To help promote the creative economy, the government also plans to attract 500 “global talented” persons by 2017 to have them work in the science and business fields here.

Beyond serving the administration’s policy purposes, it holds increasing significance for Korea’s continuous growth to forge better working and living conditions for foreign residents and immigrants here. The longer-term immigration policy also needs to be oriented toward that goal in a more positive manner.

According to recent figures from the Prime Minister’s Office, the number of foreigners in the country doubled over the past eight years to about 1.48 million in April. They can and should assume a key role in boosting the national economy and competitiveness at a time when the number of its economically active population is declining due to the chronically low birthrate.

Migrant workers and wives, most of whom come from less developed Asian countries, should not be left high and dry in a country that has brought them in for its own needs.

The government is advised to accelerate efforts to protect human rights and ensure proper treatment for them. It will be useful for officials from the Justice Ministry, the Labor Ministry and municipal governments to form a team to provide one-stop counseling for foreign employees.

Immigrant spouses should be required to equip themselves with basic Korean language skills before coming to the country so that they can adapt to their new family life. It needs to be taken more seriously that divorces among multicultural couples have been increasing here, while their marriages are on the decrease.

Perhaps the most crucial thing Korean society should not miss or neglect is to educate and support children from multicultural families so that they will not be cornered into socioeconomic exclusion. It may have to be reminded that recent riots in Stockholm’s suburbs inhabited by immigrant families were connected with the younger generation’s complaint of economic conditions and lack of a sense of meaningful existence rather than racial trouble.