Gokseong County Welcomes 30 Seasonal Workers to Ease Labor Shortage During Farming Season

29 Seasonal Workers from Laos Selected
Health Screenings, Including Drug Tests, Completed

Gokseong County in Jeollanam-do announced on the 13th that it held a welcoming event for the arrival of public seasonal workers in 2026 and to encourage them. Photo by Gokseong County, Jeollanam-do

Gokseong County in Jeollanam-do has officially launched its foreign seasonal worker support program to address the rural labor shortage as the main farming season begins.

On the 13th, Gokseong County announced that it had held a welcoming event for public seasonal workers arriving in 2026 and to encourage them.

The newly arrived group consists of 29 seasonal workers from Laos and 1 interpreter, totaling 30 people. They were selected through local interviews based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Gokseong County and Laos. After entering the country via Gimhae International Airport, they completed health screenings, including drug and infectious disease tests.

Following the welcoming event, the workers were assigned to the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Nonghyup), where they received guidance on life in Korea and training on agricultural work compliance. They also completed preliminary procedures such as signing employment contracts and opening bank accounts, after which they will officially begin assisting local farms.

Gokseong County's public seasonal worker program is operated in a way that Nonghyup directly employs the workers and dispatches them to farms in need. This significantly eases the burden on farms that face temporary labor shortages during the busy farming season.

The county plans to bring in additional seasonal workers in April, who will be assigned to Okhwa Nonghyup and Seokgok Nonghyup and gradually deployed to agricultural sites.

A representative from Gokseong County stated, "We will continue to manage the working environment by providing interpretation support and regularly inspecting accommodations so that seasonal workers can quickly adapt to life in Korea."

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