Boseong-gun Signs Seasonal Worker Agreement with Philippine 'Padada City'

Published 11 Jul.2023 11:19(KST)

Mutual Active Interest and Commitment to Support

Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 5th that it has signed a business agreement regarding the introduction of foreign seasonal workers from Padada City, Philippines, to address the decline in rural population and labor shortages.

Padada City is a local government area in Davao del Sur Province on Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines, a small agricultural town located about 1,200 km from Manila.

Yoon Dong-jin, Vice Chairman of Boseong County Council, Kim Gyu-woong, Deputy County Governor, Parshal Guerrero Jr., Mayor of Padadashi, Han Ki-seop, Member of Boseong County Council
[Photo by Boseong County]

For this agreement, Vice Governor Kim Gyu-woong, Vice Chairman Yoon Dong-jin of the Boseong County Council, Council Member Han Ki-seop, and other officials visited the Philippines in person, while Padada City was represented by Mayor Pachal Guerrero Jr. and City Council Member Emma Bongkawel.

On this day, Boseong-gun and Padada City discussed and consulted on all matters related to the introduction of foreign seasonal workers and promised mutual active interest and support.

The seasonal workers from Padada City are expected to arrive in September and help alleviate labor shortages on Boseong farms during the autumn harvest season.

Vice Governor Kim Gyu-woong said, “As this is the first business agreement signed since the implementation of the foreign seasonal worker system, I visited the site personally to ensure stable worker supply.” He added, “We will do our best to make this agreement helpful in resolving rural labor shortages.”

Meanwhile, the foreign seasonal worker program, overseen by the Ministry of Justice, is a system that legally allows the employment of foreigners for a minimum of three months and up to eight months in agricultural and fishery sectors that require short-term, intensive labor during seasonal periods such as planting and harvesting.

Boseong-gun has been allocated 435 workers across 95 farms in the agricultural sector for the first and second halves of the year. Currently, 222 workers have arrived at 34 farms to assist with labor. Approximately 200 additional workers are expected to arrive from September to November, the upcoming busy farming season.