Goheung-gun, Operation of Foreign Seasonal Workers in the Second Half to Solve 'Labor Shortage'

Supporting Rural Labor for the Upcoming Busy Farming Season

[Goheung=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Sim Jeong-woo] Jeonnam Goheung-gun (Governor Gong Young-min) announced on the 21st that starting in September, it will actively respond to labor shortages in rural farming and fishing villages by operating a foreign seasonal worker program.

Foreign seasonal workers can be assigned based on the applicant farm's choice of allocation method: entry from countries with an MOU agreement, invitation of relatives of marriage immigrants, or employment of foreigners residing in Korea. Each year, farms participating in the foreign seasonal worker program apply in December for the first half and in June for the second half, and after approval by the Ministry of Justice, foreign seasonal workers are sequentially assigned.

This second half, a total of 425 foreign seasonal workers were approved by the Ministry of Justice, with 137 in agriculture and 288 in fisheries. On the 6th and 16th of this month, 19 and 25 workers respectively entered the country, and currently, 44 have been assigned to farms.

Additionally, among 30 seasonal workers invited as family and relatives of marriage immigrants, 10 have entered the country. They will be sequentially assigned to applicant farms from September to November, the peak farming season, to assist with labor.

A county official stated, "With freer overseas entry and exit, the foreign seasonal worker program is expected to become more active," adding, "We will strive to assign more workers to farms at the right time and strengthen follow-up management such as compliance education for employing farms to prevent worker dropout."

Meanwhile, the proactive introduction method of foreign seasonal workers implemented by Goheung-gun in the first half of this year was reflected in the Ministry of Justice guidelines in July, enabling a rapid response to foreign seasonal worker demand. Farms wishing to be allocated seasonal workers next year can apply starting early December this year.

Goheung=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Sim Jeong-woo hss79@asiae.co.kr

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