Eighteen basic local governments from the first half of this year will implement early adaptation programs for seasonal foreign workers. Shown is a worker at a greenhouse in Imsil-gun County, Jeollabuk-do Office. (Imsil-gun Office)
By Aisylu Akhmetzianova
Early adaptation programs to help seasonal foreign laborers settle in the country will be expanded in the first half of this year.
The Ministry of Justice on March 27 said 18 basic local governments will run such programs for about 2,500 seasonal workers from abroad.
The three-part program covers basic law and order, human rights education and information necessary for daily living in the country like responses to emergencies, transportation, finance and medical care. It also covers agricultural safety rules and data on regional communities.
To enhance access by seasonal foreign workers to education and prevent labor shortages in farming and fishing villages, training will be done in a “close-to-site” manner and professional lecturers will visit training centers in relevant regions.
The first program this year was held on March 22 at Icheon Agriculture Technology Center in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do Province, for 41 seasonal workers from Vietnam.
Previous programs had catered to marriage immigrants, ethnic Koreans from abroad, and foreign entertainers and students.
But calls kept arising on the need for such training for seasonal workers to prevent problems like human rights violations and sudden and unauthorized departures.
Reflecting such requests from the field, the ministry last year ran a trial program for 488 seasonal workers invited by nine basic local governments. This year, it will expand this program based on the results of pilot operations.
aisylu@korea.kr
