Goheung-gun, Deployment of Foreign Seasonal Workers in the Second Half of the Year

Published 13 Jun.2023 14:28(KST)

311 Assigned in the First Half, 787 Assigned in the Second Half

Gohung-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Gong Young-min) announced that it is promoting the employment of foreign seasonal workers in the second half of the year to resolve labor shortages caused by regional population decline and aging.

According to the county on the 13th, as a result of applying to the Ministry of Justice for the introduction of foreign seasonal workers in the first and second half of the year to secure stable manpower, this year Gohung-gun was allocated 1,098 seasonal workers (701 in fisheries, 397 in agriculture). This number is more than double the 471 allocated last year.

[Photo by Goheung-gun]

Currently, in Gohung-gun, about 200 people who passed visa issuance and medical examinations out of the 311 people allocated in the first half have been assigned to farms and fisheries. From July, when preparations such as additional worker selection and employer accommodation inspections are completed, seasonal workers for the second half will sequentially enter the country and be assigned to farms and fisheries in need of labor.

Earlier, in March, Gohung-gun signed MOUs with three local governments in the Philippines to attract a large number of foreign workers, selecting foreign workers from a total of five local governments. The county also plans to continuously expand employment for marriage immigrants and foreigners residing in Korea in the future.

A county official said, “Due to the successful attraction of seasonal workers last year, we were selected as an excellent local government, and the employment limit per employer increased from 9 to 11, an increase of 2. With the revision of related guidelines allowing foreign workers to be employed in seaweed aquaculture, it is expected that the allocation of foreign seasonal workers will solve the labor shortage problem.”

He added, “We also plan to strengthen follow-up management by conducting employer education to protect the human rights of foreign workers and prevent industrial accidents, focusing on creating a stable working environment for foreign seasonal workers.”

Meanwhile, farms and fisheries wishing to be allocated foreign seasonal workers in the first half of 2024 can apply starting from November this year, and the county plans to apply for the introduction of foreign seasonal workers based on this.