[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] Korean workers employed by the US Forces Korea (USFK) who have been on unpaid leave are expected to return to work as early as the 15th of this month.
On the 3rd, the USFK Korean Workers' Union issued a press release welcoming the agreement between Korea and the United States on the 'advance payment of wages for USFK Korean workers,' stating, "Both Korea and the US have agreed that Korea will pay the wages of USFK Korean workers until the end of the year," and added, "Under no circumstances should there be any gaps in the national security of the Republic of Korea."
They continued, "The unpaid leave of Korean staff makes it impossible for USFK to carry out its mission," and said, "System improvements must be made to ensure that such a situation does not recur."
They also stated, "The defense cost-sharing negotiations have not been concluded," and demanded, "The agreement must explicitly include provisions to prevent unpaid leave of workers and similar issues from occurring during the final negotiations."
The USFK union added, "For now, the unpaid leave has ended, and workers can return to their duties normally," and "We will do our best for national security and public safety upon returning to work."
On April 1st, USFK placed about 4,000 Korean workers, roughly half of the total Korean workforce, on unpaid leave citing the failure to reach an agreement on defense cost-sharing negotiations.
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