South Korean labor market has officially resumed accepting Vietnamese laborers offering more opportunities for those who want to work in the country.
The Department of Overseas Labor Management ( Dolab), under the Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said that Korean government has opened labor market again not only bringing chance for Vietnamese workers.
Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, head of the Department of Overseas Labor Management said that illegal Vietnamese workers in RoK who voluntarily return home from April 1 to September 30 this year will not have to pay any administrative penalties. They even also have chance to arrive in Korea to work again.
The move is aimed at encouraging and facilitating the return of Vietnamese workers and reducing the rate of workers illegally staying and working outside Vietnam. Before, the Korean government decided to suspend the MoU in 2012 due to the high rate of illegal Vietnamese workers in South Korea. At that time, the proportion of Vietnamese workers who overstayed to work illegally in Korea is up to 58 percent; accordingly Korean government decided to suspend the MoU and the special agreement will be valid for a year.
Until the middle of 2016, Korean government has resumed accepting Vietnamese workers when the rate of illegal Vietnamese workers decreased to 32 percent.
In 2016, Korean pledged to receive 3,500 Vietnamese laborers. Nguyen Ngoc Quynh said that after signing the agreement, the two sides will continue discussing application and Korean language training. The new regulation this year is that Korean enterprises will check Vietnamese laborers’ skills and ability after these workers pass Korean language tests. These skillful and disciplined workers will be on top priority.
Around 12,000 Vietnamese workers passed Korean language tests in 2011 and those returning Vietnam as per contract have wishes to work in Korea again.
Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Minister Doan Mau Diep said that around 15,000 Vietnamese people illegally stayed in South Korea and many of them lived in Korea for ten or so years. Along with encouraging these people to return Vietnam, the Ministry increased information to those were selected to work in factories in Korea not to illicitly stay in Korea.
The Department of Overseas Labor Management said that Vietnamese workers whose contract terminates should not worry because their document of work will be sent to other enterprises.
In a bid to assure workers returning Vietnam to have job in Vietnam, Dolab organized labor fair connecting home-return workers and Korean companies in Vietnam.
