Gyeonggi Province Pilots Psychological Counseling for Foreign Seasonal Workers

Gyeonggi Province will pilot a "psychological counseling program" to alleviate psychological burdens and support emotional stability for foreign seasonal workers through October.

While there have previously been outreach consultations on working conditions, Korean language education, and Korean cultural experiences for foreign seasonal workers, this is the first time that psychological counseling has been formally organized as a program.

Gyeonggi Province plans to take the lead with this pilot project to support workers’ emotional stability and a healthy work environment.

The program targets 89 foreign seasonal workers participating in public-sector employment in four cities and counties: Paju, Anseong, Yeoju, and Yeoncheon.

By nationality, there are 45 workers from Laos (Anseong and Paju), 22 from Cambodia (Yeoju), and 22 from Vietnam (Yeoncheon).

Gyeonggi Province is conducting a psychological counseling program for foreign seasonal workers. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

The psychological counseling sessions will take place on workers’ days off, using a group face-to-face format (up to 2 hours per session, with about 5 participants per group).

The program is structured as a four-week course. It uses tools such as emotion cards, drawing paper, and hand cream to help participants explore and express their feelings, experience positive emotions within a group, and strengthen interactions.

Lee Munmu, Director of Agricultural Policy at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "We have prepared this counseling support to help foreign workers overcome the psychological burdens of living in another country and to foster stable settlement in rural areas and a positive work environment."

Meanwhile, in the first half of this year, Gyeonggi Province assigned 5,258 foreign seasonal workers to 20 cities and counties, an 83% increase from last year’s 2,877 workers.