“Deeply energised”: What pieces of wisdom can Monash councillor bring home from her South Korea trip?

Monash Jells Ward councillor Elisha Lee, who migrated from South Korea to Australia as a child and was the first Korean-Australian person elected as a councillor in the state, recently attended a forum in South Korea alongside politicians from across the globe.

The Eastern Melburnian reached out to the councillor with two questions: 

• What lessons and advice has she brought back from her trip? 

• And how can they be translated to help Monash residents?

🔢 By the numbers: The South Korean capital of Seoul has a predicted population of 9.6 million people as of last year. In contrast, the LGA of Monash, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, has an estimated population of a little over 209,000 as of 2024.

• Monash is home to the second largest Korean population in the state, while more than 54 percent of its population is born overseas and more than 56 percent speak a language other than English at home.

🌍On the world stage: Lee attended the 11th World Korean Politicians Forum from September 2 to 5, alongside more than 50 councillors and state and federal elected officials of Korean heritage from a number of countries, including New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the UK, China, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

🔊Many benefits spruiked: Lee first discussed her trip during a late September council meeting, in which she described it as a “very interesting” event, where she was able to speak about how to “better engage with the diaspora communities that make up multicultural communities”.

• 🗣️“We discussed topics like affordable housing, maternal child health services and transport planning,” Lee told the chamber. “It was really valuable to gain that intercity comparative perspective and I look forward to drawing on my experience.”

📱📥Back and forth: On Tuesday October 7, the Eastern Melburnian reached out to Lee to discuss the potential of an interview via a video call, in person or over the phone.

However, she requested we send questions via email for her to prepare a written statement to be approved by Monash Council’s media team.

The Eastern Melburnian sent a follow-up email requesting a response on October 17 and then called Lee on October 21, shortly after which we received an email statement responding to some of our questions.

🧾Paid in full: Lee said the trip was “fully funded by the Korean Government, via the Overseas Koreans Cooperation Centre, a subsidiary of Overseas Koreans Agency”.

• 🗣️“The funding covered return flights, accommodation, and participation costs,” Lee told the Eastern Melburnian. “I was invited by the Korean Government, through the recommendation of the Korean Consul-General of Melbourne.”

😬 Similar issues: Lee said although engaging with Korean diasporic communities was the key theme of the event, “many of the challenges discussed have broader relevance to multicultural and migrant communities here in Monash”.

• “Monash’s thriving multicultural community contributes to our local economy, culture and social fabric, yet often face barriers to fully accessing the services, representation and opportunities available to them,” said Lee.

💡 Ideas exchanged: Attendees spent time discussing practical ideas on how elected leaders and governments could “bridge gaps between migrant communities” through better language access, culturally attuned communication and more partnerships between community groups and their local representatives.

🫂 Continuing connections: Lee said she had created an “enduring network of leaders” during her time at the event, allowing her to learn about how other communities deal with a number of issues, such as the kinds of family violence initiatives they have in their jurisdictions.

• Lee also met with councillors and officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, including the City Council’s first female chair, Hojung Choi.

💭 Large-scale problem-solving: Seoul faces complex issues to deliver housing, transport and family wellbeing services to more than nine million people, and Lee also visited the Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service, where high-pollution vehicles are prohibited from entering heritage and high-density precincts for most of the day.

🏥 🏘️ Health and housing: Other discussions included how Seoul is delivering youth housing developments on city-owned land as well as free health check-ups for parents and financial support for new families.

⏭️ What’s next? Lee said she felt “deeply energised to continue serving” Monash and ensuring every resident “feels seen, heard and valued”.