Naju-si Welcomes 95 Foreign Seasonal Workers... Five Months of Hard Work on Site

Following Vietnam, foreign seasonal workers of Mongolian nationality are lending a hand to the agricultural labor force in the Naju area ahead of the full-scale farming season.

Naju City, Jeollanam-do, announced on the 27th that it held the '2024 Foreign Seasonal Workers Arrival Welcome Event' at the Agricultural Technology Center auditorium on the 25th.

The welcome event was attended by about 120 people, including 95 foreign seasonal workers from Battsengel and Uginor counties in Arkhangai Province, Mongolia, who arrived through Incheon International Airport on the 25th, their home country escorts, and employing farmers.

Along with the welcome ceremony, the city conducted briefings with the police station and fire station on compliance guidelines for foreign seasonal workers, human rights protection, prevention of unauthorized departure and crime, and fire safety education.

After completing the training, the foreign seasonal workers will be assigned to various farms starting this month and will assist with farming tasks during their five-month seasonal work stay.

Procedures for industrial accident insurance, agricultural safety insurance enrollment, and foreigner registration are underway, and work extension (three months) or re-entry is possible based on recommendations from employing farms.

Following the Mongolian seasonal workers, 50 public-type seasonal workers and 384 family members of marriage immigrants are scheduled to arrive sequentially from the end of April, with a total of 532 foreign seasonal workers planned to be deployed to farming sites in the first half of this year.

Last year, 358 foreign seasonal workers were employed, and this year the target is set at 700.

Naju City is implementing support policies for farms to ensure the stable stay of foreign seasonal workers, including dispatching language communication assistants and supporting farms with industrial accident insurance premiums.

The Naju City Family Center issues and supports foreign health cards to prepare for accidents and illnesses among workers.

Yoon Byung-tae, mayor of Naju City, said, "We hope that Mongolian workers who have come from a distant country will gain advanced agricultural technology and experience and become a great help to the busy farming labor force based on their diligence. We will also strive to protect human rights so that the workers can achieve their goals and safely depart."

Naju = Kim Yukbong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr