Jin Byeong-yeong, Hamyang County Governor, Visits to Encourage Foreign Seasonal Workers

Meeting with 23 members from 11 farms from Vietnam

Jin Byeong-yeong, the governor of Hamyang-gun, Gyeongnam, visited the site to listen to the difficulties faced by foreign workers.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Jin Byeong-yeong, the mayor of Hamyang-gun, Gyeongnam, announced on the 27th that he visited the accommodations and work sites of 23 seasonal workers from Nam Tra My County, Vietnam, who were placed in Hamyang-gun through the foreign seasonal worker support program, to encourage them and listen to any difficulties they were facing on site.

Hamyang-gun signed a friendship exchange agreement with Nam Tra My County, Vietnam, in 2015 and has maintained continuous ties. After signing an agreement on seasonal workers in August, 23 seasonal workers arrived at the end of November and are currently assisting with labor at 11 farms in the county, including mushroom and strawberry harvesting.

On the 25th, Mayor Jin visited the sites where the seasonal workers were working to listen to their difficulties and also toured their accommodations, urging special attention to health management amid the cold wave.

Mayor Jin said, “The decrease and aging of the agricultural population pose a major obstacle to securing agricultural labor, making it difficult to expand cultivated areas or grow high-income crops without external labor, so I understand the hardships faced by farmers. We will prioritize securing stable agricultural labor as an important task for the growth and development of Hamyang-gun agriculture and strive to resolve this issue.”

He added, “Even though it is Christmas, I am grateful for your hard work far from your families in a distant country. I hope you stay safe and healthy while helping with the local labor shortage during your stay in Hamyang and return to your home country safely.”