500 Laotian Farmers to Visit Andong by April Next Year... Mayor Kwon Ki-chang Signs Labor Introduction Agreement

Kwon Ki-chang, Mayor of Andong (right in the photo), and Khamxingsavat Anusen, Director of the Department of Labor and Welfare of Laos, are signing an agreement and holding up the certificate.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Koo Dae-seon] Andong City, Gyeongbuk Province, announced on the 26th that about 500 Laotian farmers will come to Andong in April next year to work in agricultural fields.

On the 23rd, Andong Mayor Kwon Ki-chang visited Laos and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to introduce foreign seasonal workers to address the shortage of rural labor and enhance agricultural competitiveness.

On that day, Mayor Kwon met with Khamxingsavath Anousone, Director General of the Labor and Social Welfare Department of Laos, at the Laos Ministry of Labor, and signed the agreement expressing expectations for friendly cooperation and development between Andong City and Laos.

The signing ceremony was attended by a delegation of 16 representatives from Andong, including Mayor Kwon Ki-chang, Im Tae-seop, Chairman of the Culture and Welfare Committee of Andong City Council, and the head of Andong Nonghyup, as well as about 20 officials from the Laos Ministry of Labor, including the Deputy Minister and department directors.

According to the memorandum, Andong City and the Laos Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare agreed to promote mutual exchange in the agricultural sector and cooperate to ensure smooth supply and demand of agricultural labor, including the introduction of seasonal workers.

Andong City will strive to protect the working conditions and human rights of seasonal workers and provide support for relief in case of human rights violations. The Employment Bureau of the Laos Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare will support all administrative procedures until the seasonal workers enter the country. Management personnel will also be assigned to prevent unauthorized departure.

Starting from April next year, about 500 Laotian seasonal workers will be deployed to rural agricultural sites in the Andong area in the first and second halves of the year. The target group consists of male and female agricultural workers aged 25 to 50, excluding those with criminal records, illegal stay history, or suspected COVID-19 infection.

Mayor Kwon Ki-chang said, “Through this MOU, I hope to introduce excellent seasonal workers from Laos to resolve the rural labor shortage problem faced by Andong City and to serve as an opportunity to increase Andong’s agricultural productivity and competitiveness.”

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