The first seasonal workers from the northern province of Nam Dinh arrived at the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Jeju island on July 13 under a cooperation agreement between the two local authorities, VNA reported Friday.

The Jeju authorities said that 14 seasonal workers from Nam Dinh province entered the RoK through Jeju International Airport under the Seasonal Worker Programme of the Korean Ministry of Justice.

A farm on Jeju island. Photo: VNA

Upon their arrival, they received training on how to respond to emergencies, prevent human rights violations, and fight crimes against foreign workers.

They then will work for local farms that are also trained on regulations that they must comply with when employing foreign workers under the provisions of the programme.

Farms that register to accept workers are also trained on the issues they must comply with when employing workers under the provisions of the Seasonal Worker Programme developed by the Ministry of Justice.

In summer, the time to cultivate the thawing fields and feed livestock outside their pens has come near. It means workers are in high demand now. But in this aging country with an extremely low birthrate, farmhands are hard to find. Especially in rural communities where young workers are highly valued but increasingly choose to relocate to urban settings for different opportunities, according to Korea Times.

The dwindling workforce is putting pressure on farmers ― and more heavily on local governments that must sustain their communities' businesses. So the quest to recruit new workers has begun all across the country's rural regions.

On March 29, Jeju signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Vietnamese province to address its labour shortage.

Under the agreement, Jeju island is responsible for assisting with the visa process, protecting the legal rights of foreign workers, and partially covering immigration costs. Meanwhile, Nam Dinh province supports recruitment, training, dispatching and receiving labor.

This year, Jeju needs 867 foreign seasonal workers, and the number it has signed with Nam Dinh is 264.

Nam Dinh is recruiting workers according to the quantity and conditions required by Jeju after signing the cooperation agreement; at the same time coordinate with Jeju to support quick immigration for workers.

Vietnamese guest workers get updated on the RoK’s law. Photo: VNA

The Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour said the country has plans to employ about 110,000 migrant workers this year to work at its farms and factories, but some businesses believed even more will be needed to keep them running.

Apart from working to raise the number of guest workers under the Employment Permit System (EPS), Vietnam's competent agencies have also discussed with Korean relevant units to loosen conditions, making it easier for shipbuilding workers to enter the RoK.

Last year, Vietnam sent nearly 9,000 workers to the RoK under the EPS programme, out of 70,000 set for 16 selected countries.

Head of the EPS Vietnam Office in the RoK Pham Minh Duc said up to 10,000 Vietnamese guest workers are expected to be sent to the RoK this year.

The office will coordinate with the labour management board and the Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK to provide training for the workers, helping them quickly integrate into the host society.

Korean Jeju Island Introduced in Quang Ninh Province The exhibition is an opportunity to introduce to Vietnamese and international friends the outstanding values of Jeju Island, thereby contributing to deepening the understanding of ...

Korean Tech Unicorn Target Vietnam's Tourism Market Apart from retail corporations, leading unicorn businesses in technology, tourism services, and hotels in the RoK, such as Yanolja Cloud, are also targeting the Vietnamese ...

VUFO Coordinates With VESAMO to Organize Academic, Business Exchanges At the meeting with the Association of Korean People Loving Vietnam (VESAMO) delegation, on July 3 in Hanoi, Phan Anh Son, vice president, general secretary ...