Pohang Gwamegi Drying Company Faces 'Labor Shortage'... Competition to Hire Foreign Workers

The scene of a Gwamegi drying rack at Samjeong Beach, Guryongpo-eup, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk, on November 21 last year. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] As foreign workers have been leaving en masse for their home countries due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), seafood processing companies in the Pohang area, facing the drying season for Gwamegi, are busy searching for labor.

Pohang City announced on the 28th that the Guryongpo Gwamegi Business Cooperative and the Guryongpo Squid Fishery Cooperative Corporation are accepting job applications from domestic and foreign workers until the 15th of next month.

Currently, about 200 foreign seasonal workers are needed at 46 Gwamegi and squid drying companies in Guryongpo, Pohang. Applications are also being accepted in advance for general workers who will work between November this year and January next year.

Pohang City explained that this is to secure domestic and foreign workers in advance at each company amid a severe shortage of manpower to dry Gwamegi to be supplied in winter.

For domestic workers, the employment period is decided through consultation with the fishing households. The wage is 1,795,310 KRW per month, the minimum wage in 2020.

The working period for foreign seasonal workers varies by visa type, ranging from a minimum of 3 months to a maximum of 5 months starting from October 2020. The monthly wage is around 2 million KRW, which includes the minimum wage (1,795,310 KRW per month) plus 210,000 KRW for room and board.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.