Muan County Deploys 133 Foreign Seasonal Workers to Agricultural Sites

A Total of 575 Seasonal Workers to Be Deployed in the First Half of This Year

Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Kim San) announced on the 8th that it will officially deploy 133 seasonal workers from Laos to agricultural sites as the first group of foreign seasonal workers this year.

The foreign seasonal worker program is a system designed to address labor shortages in rural areas. Under this program, foreigners who enter the country through seasonal worker agreements or family invitations by marriage immigrants can be employed in local agricultural and fishing villages for up to eight months.

At Seungdal Culture and Arts Center, education on infectious disease prevention management, drug and substance addiction prevention, and seasonal workers' human rights violation prevention is being conducted, followed by a commemorative photo. Provided by Muan County

The seasonal workers from Laos arrived at Gimhae Airport on the 4th and, immediately after arrival, participated in training at Seungdal Culture and Arts Center together with their employer farms. The training covered topics such as infection prevention and management, prevention of drug and substance abuse, and prevention of human rights violations against seasonal workers.

After the training, vests embroidered with the names of the Laotian seasonal workers were distributed, and employers were encouraged to call workers by their names instead of simply saying 'ya,' placing special emphasis on the protection of seasonal workers' human rights.

Meanwhile, Muan-gun signed a seasonal worker agreement with Silang City, the Philippines in February 2022, and with the Ministry of Labor of Laos in November 2023. As a result, 107 seasonal workers entered in 2022, 145 in 2023, and 357 in 2024.

In the first half of this year, a total of 575 seasonal workers will be deployed to 148 farms through the foreign seasonal worker program, including 386 from Laos, 41 from the Philippines, and 148 through family invitations by marriage immigrants.

Governor Kim San stated, "We plan to complete the entry of seasonal workers for the first half of the year by mid-April," and added, "We will expand the seasonal worker system to address the labor shortage in rural areas."

Meanwhile, Muan-gun plans to further expand the foreign seasonal worker program by increasing the number of agreement countries and easing the family invitation system for marriage immigrants.