Foreign and immigrant artists of all types, actors, models, voice actors, musicians, dancers, and many more have been adding to the richness of Korean society for decades. And most of them are on the E6 culture and entertainment visa. However, some say the system for E6 visa holders is flawed, that it only offers enforcement protections to Korean citizens and entirely excludes the largest percentage of foreign artists working and paying taxes in Korea. This lack of protection puts all E6 visa holders and by extension all foreign artists in a very vulnerable position. We may face pressure to work under unsafe or exploitative working conditions. And we all suffer under the threat of retribution and blacklisting for reporting on or speaking out against abusive behavior. I noticed the problem when I started working here several years ago, whenever I would try to get a contract there, nobody does contracts. And how bizarre is that? That's just a standard practice in every industry and every business anywhere in the world. There's an international agreement to which Korea is a party that they sign and they created their own copyright act, saying that all have to be protected equally. The foreign artist has no way of knowing what the production is paying for them and how much is being taken by the casting agent as a fee. And sometimes they're taking as much as 80%. And we would just like information. We would just like to know. According to a poll of F and E6 visa holders working in the television, advertising and film industries, the majority had never been offered a contract to sign for their work. For commercial work, 70% answered they had never seen or signed a contract for their work or usage rights. For speaking roles in movies, 78% had never signed a contract. And for speaking roles for a television, including international productions on Netflix and Disney Plus, 83% had never signed a contract. Foreign talents say casting agents blacklist any foreign artists that speak up, and only work with those they feel can be bullied, which has led to ever worsening working conditions for foreign artists. Or I complained or because I raised my voice like this publicly sometimes. Everyone complains behind the scenes about the conditions and the abuses, and we never have an opportunity to actually speak up and do something about it. I know firsthand stories of women who get the E6 visa, they're told they're going to be a model, they're going to be in dramas, they're going to be on TV, they're going to be in the next Squid Game, and they come here and the agency starts sending them to salon rooms, bars at night. And they're in a position where if they say no, they're trapped in Korea with no visa and no money. So a lot of young women are being trapped in that situation. Korean artists are set to benefit from a new law that will protect their rights after it goes into effect in September. But many artists are concerned that the language in the enforcement decree of the act on the guarantee of the status and rights of artists may leave out many artists in Korea. Those are foreign nationality. The diverse artists of Korea association submitted a petition with signatures from over 500 individuals and organizations to the culture ministry asking for the wording of the new law to be changed to include all artists regardless of nationality. Although I may look different, I'm no different than any of you. I've lived here for 21 years. I've learned the language, I've learned the culture, I've paid my taxes, I have a Korean wife and I have Korean children. And by denying me the ability to work freely, the ability to join Korean programs, the ability to have the protection in the support of Korean government is not only limiting me but is limiting the opportunity for my children. I feel that I'm accepted in the society as an artist about, you know, from the government side, it's always, you know, we are not in existence. So we need to be recognized. We're given visas by the government. We pay our taxes, the government wants us here. We think that we should get the same protections. We are here because we want to be here and to be a part of the culture here. My wife is Korean, my wife's family is my family. This is where I'm going to grow old and die. So I just want to be treated like a human being like everybody else. So I just want us to all be treated equally. That's all.