Changnyeong Governor Sung Nakin Visits Central Ministries Including Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Ministry of Agriculture

Full Efforts to Secure National Budget and Resolve Rural Labor Shortage
Proposal for Improvement of the Foreign Seasonal Worker System

Changnyeong County in South Gyeongsang Province is taking active steps to address local issues, including securing national budget funds and proposing institutional improvements to resolve the rural labor shortage.

County Governor Sung Nakin personally visited central government ministries to advocate for securing next year's new national budget project funds, obtaining special grant tax support for the first half of this year, and proposing measures to supply foreign seasonal workers to address the rural labor shortage during the busy farming season.

Sung Nakin, Changnyeong County Governor, Puts Full Effort into Securing National Funds and Resolving Rural Labor Shortage. Provided by Changnyeong County

On May 22, he visited the Natural Disaster Response Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and explained the urgency of supporting two national projects to protect the lives and property of county residents by preventing floods and preemptively addressing disaster risk factors in areas prone to frequent flooding: the Goam Jungdae District Comprehensive Storm and Flood Management Project (42.1 billion won) and the Gyesong Natural Disaster Risk Improvement District Maintenance Project (39.2 billion won).

He then visited the Local Finance Bureau to resolve key local issues in the county, which has a low fiscal self-reliance rate, and requested special grant tax support for three projects totaling 4.8 billion won: the Daeji-myeon Topyeongcheon Riverside Trail Construction Project (1.9 billion won), the Gyesong Myeongni Village Sewage Pipeline Maintenance Project (1.5 billion won), and the Ibang Seok-ri District and Jangma Gang-ri District Flood Damage Improvement Project (1.4 billion won). He also requested a total of 6.6 billion won in special disaster safety management grant tax for three projects from the Disaster Management Policy Division: the Goam Cheonggan Reservoir Maintenance Project (2.5 billion won), the Namji Bridge North End Intersection Panel-type Reinforced Earth Retaining Wall Maintenance Project (2.1 billion won), and the Ibang Naedong Small Stream Maintenance Project (2.0 billion won).

In particular, during his visit to the Agricultural Innovation Policy Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, he shared the reality that, although the foreign seasonal worker system is gaining attention as an alternative to the shortage of rural labor caused by the increasing number of elderly farming households each year, a significant portion of rural labor is still filled by undocumented foreign workers.

As a solution, he proposed introducing flexibility into the system, such as temporarily allowing foreigners staying on short-term visas (C-3), as in the case of New Zealand, to engage in agricultural work, and permitting them to work not only at the contracted farms but also at nearby farms within the jurisdiction, depending on labor needs.

For the convenience of city and county officials on the front lines, he also proposed establishing an integrated management system dedicated to foreign seasonal workers, enabling one-stop management from entry to departure. This suggestion appears to be based on Governor Sung's 34 years of experience as a local government official.

Governor Sung Nakin stated, "Securing national budget funds is not just about financial support; it is a key task for laying the foundation for Changnyeong County's future growth engine," and added, "We will continue to actively address local issues through close cooperation with central government ministries and the National Assembly, and will consistently propose improvements to systems such as the foreign seasonal worker program that require changes on the ground."

Additionally, on May 21, he visited the Changwon Immigration Office and met with Director Kim Jaenam, emphasizing that crackdowns on undocumented foreign workers in the agricultural sector could disrupt timely labor supply, resulting in delayed harvests, decreased agricultural product quality, and increased waste, thereby causing damage to farming households.

He also requested improvements to the system so that, although short-term visas (C-3), which are currently issued only for temporary visits or tourism, are in principle restricted from employment, conditional short-term agricultural work could be permitted during peak farming seasons when labor demand surges.