Jeollanam-do Expands Housing Stability Support Program for Foreign Seasonal Workers

15 Facilities Built or Renovated by This Year
Three More to Be Added by 2026, Including Jindo

Jeonnam Provincial Government Office View

Jeollanam-do Province has announced that it will expand its housing stability support program to improve the settlement conditions for foreign seasonal workers and address labor shortages during peak farming seasons.

To increase accommodation for foreign seasonal workers, Jeollanam-do is supporting the construction and renovation of 15 facilities by 2025. Since first proposing the initiative to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the province has built and operated four dormitories (in Damyang, Haenam, Yeongam, and Muan) under the 2022 "Agricultural Workers' Dormitory Construction Project," and has supported an additional 11 facilities through its own program.

Furthermore, with Jindo County (with an investment of 3.5 billion won) selected for the 2026 national public project by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the province plans to further expand dormitory capacity.

In addition, Jeollanam-do plans to support two more facilities through its own project in 2026. Including the one facility confirmed through the national public project, a total of three additional dormitories will be established.

This year, Jeollanam-do was allocated the highest number of foreign seasonal workers in the country, with 15,025 workers assigned. As of October, around 9,000 have already arrived and are working, and more are expected to enter in the second half of the year to assist with the harvesting of radishes and cabbages, as well as the planting of garlic and onions.

To protect the human rights of the increasing number of foreign seasonal workers each year, Jeollanam-do conducts quarterly surveys to check on their rights and living conditions. The province is also developing and supporting programs to improve their treatment, such as providing language communication assistants, medical expense support, and airfare assistance for diligent workers.

Through the Jeonnam Seasonal Worker Regional Support Center, the province aims to streamline and integrate all major recruitment procedures-including worker entry and mandatory training-that were previously handled individually by each city and county, thereby reducing administrative redundancy and inefficiency. This integrated approach is intended to help workers adapt quickly and stabilize labor supply for local farms at the same time.

Kim Hyunmi, Director of Agricultural Policy at Jeollanam-do, stated, "With rural aging and rising labor costs, the labor shortage in rural areas is threatening the sustainability of agriculture and rural communities. Since foreign seasonal workers are essential to the rural workforce, we will do our utmost to expand accommodations and improve their treatment to establish a sustainable labor supply system."

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