Cheonan Pear Farmers Struggle with Labor Shortages Amid Unseasonal Cold

Pear Blossoms Lost to Cold Snap,
Labor Shortage Worsens as Crackdown on Undocumented Immigrants Intensifies

Employees of Cheonan Science and Industry Promotion Agency participated in volunteer work for artificial pollination of pear blossoms on the 16th. (Provided by Cheonan City)

Pear farmers in Cheonan, Chungnam, are suffering a double hardship as they face significant damage from abnormal cold and frost in the spring, while also struggling to secure enough manpower for artificial pollination.

According to local farmers on the 17th, most of the pear blossoms that bloomed earlier this month have fallen due to cold damage, making urgent pollination necessary.

Farms that have difficulty finding workers have relied on undocumented immigrants for this work, but even this has become problematic as the Ministry of Justice has begun intensive crackdowns.

Farmers are appealing that, in a situation where hiring undocumented immigrants is inevitable due to the labor shortage, practical alternatives are needed rather than focusing solely on repeated crackdowns during every busy farming season.

One farmer lamented, "I'm old and don't have the strength, and there is no one willing to farm. Now the blossoms have fallen, so it's even more difficult. What would take an elderly person over two weeks to do, foreign workers can finish in a day, but nowadays, whenever they gather, they are all caught, so we can't even find these workers anymore."

Yoo Youngo, head of the Cheonan Pear Horticultural Cooperative, explained, "Many farmers are saying that all their pear blossoms have died, so we need to work hard on pollination. But with it being so hard to secure workers, the Ministry of Justice is intensively cracking down on undocumented immigrants, making things extremely difficult for farmers. Since this happens every year, we need an alternative."

In relation to this, Kim Cheolhwan, a city council member representing Seonghwan, said, "There is no disagreement about the principle of cracking down on undocumented immigrants," but pointed out, "However, conducting planned crackdowns for administrative convenience while farms are suffering from cold damage and labor shortages is too harsh."

City council member Bae Seongmin also said at the Economic and Industrial Committee meeting held the previous day, "Farmers are hiring undocumented immigrants out of desperation, but I understand that if caught, they face a fine of over 10 million won. These people are also members of our community. The city should pay more attention, such as fostering foreign workers."

Meanwhile, to alleviate the difficulties faced by farmers, the city has been supporting pollination work at 219 farms (277 ha) with the participation of 1,303 people, including public officials and related organizations, from the 12th to the 21st of this month.