“Seonghoon Instead of ‘Ya, You’... Jangseong County Gives Korean Name Tags to Foreign Workers”

Impersonal Terms Like "Ya" and "Eoi" Used Due to Difficult Pronunciation
Human Rights Initiative for 282 Seasonal Workers
Workers Choose Simple Korean Names in Consultation
Governor Kim Hanjong: "We Will Build a Respectful Rural Community"

Jangseong County in South Jeolla Province has launched a project to provide Korean name tags to foreign seasonal workers as a first step toward improving their human rights. The initiative aims to change the common practice of addressing workers with impersonal terms such as "ya" or "eoi" instead of their names.

Jangseong County Governor Hanjong Kim is giving Korean name tags to foreign seasonal workers. Provided by Jangseong County

According to Jangseong County on July 24, the county recently held an event in the Nam-myeon area where Korean name tags were given to foreign seasonal workers. The name tags were jointly prepared by Jangseong County and the Jangseong Multicultural Family Association. The names to be used on the tags were chosen in advance through consultation with the workers themselves, ensuring that they are simple and easy to pronounce in Korean.

Currently, there are 282 foreign seasonal workers from Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Mongolia working in Jangseong County. They serve as essential labor during the sowing and harvesting seasons when rural manpower is in short supply. However, communication difficulties have frequently arisen because employers often do not know the workers' names.

The Jangseong Multicultural Family Association stated, "Because the names are difficult to pronounce, employers have habitually used terms such as 'ya' or 'eoi,' which are disrespectful and undermine the workers' dignity. We believe that these name tags will not only facilitate communication but also serve as a starting point for respecting the workers."

Governor Kim Hanjong said, "I hope that this small action today will serve as an opportunity for our rural community to move toward greater respect for foreign workers. We will continue our efforts to protect the rights of workers in the future."

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