The Ministry of Justice located in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. (Ministry of Justice) A bill has been introduced at the National Assembly to elevate the head of the Justice Ministry’s Korea Immigration Service to vice ministerial rank, in a move aimed at strengthening Korea’s immigration policy apparatus amid a growing foreign resident population, legal circles said Saturday.The bill, submitted by Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Chae Hyeon-il, seeks to amend the Government Organization Act to create a vice ministerial-level post overseeing immigration and foreign resident affairs within the Justice Ministry.The proposal comes as the number of foreign nationals residing in Korea nears 3 million, fueling calls for a more systematic government response to immigration, residency and integration issues.The revision also includes provisions to allow the Justice Ministry to have two vice ministers and to spin off the ministry’s Correctional Service into a separate corrections agency under the justice minister.Chae said the Justice Ministry has long been led mainly by ministers and vice ministers from prosecutorial backgrounds despite overseeing a broad range of policy areas.“As the scope and responsibility of immigration and foreign resident policy have expanded significantly, each area now requires a high level of expertise and swift policy coordination," Chae said.