Korea to expand skilled worker visa quota to 35,000 this year: Justice Minister

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon is watching a demonstration of automatic welding of membrane sheets at an LNG liquefied gas carrier in HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, South Jeolla Province on July 10. [Photo by Yonhap]

South Korea will significantly expand the quota for skilled worker visas to 35,000 this year as it moves to establish its own immigration society to tackle labor shortage stemming from the low birthrate, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said on Monday.

“Last year, the quota for skilled foreign workers was 2,000, but we are considering expanding it to 35,000 this year, a seventeen-fold increase,” Han told reporters during his visit to a shipyard managed by HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co. in Yeongam.

Han’s remarks are in line with the measures he reported to President Yoon Suk Yeol last month on expanding the quota to about 30,000.

“We will establish a system that allows foreign workers to voluntarily contribute to Korea’s industry development,” Han said. “An immediate rise in the birthrate now cannot resolve the labor shortage 10 years after. We need outstanding foreign workers that can assimilate into Korean society and resolve the issue effectively, which I consider is the government’s role.”

The Justice Ministry plans to introduce the fourth basic plan for foreigner policy soon and expedite the establishment of an immigration control tower, including the Immigration Agency, within this year.

Han, in particular, turned to the shipbuilding industry that is suffering from severe labor shortage. He vowed that the government will actively seek ways to provide policy assistance.

HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries is facing an aggravated labor shortage as it won orders for 34 vessels this year worth $5.8 billion in total, including a 174,000 square-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier and a 158,000-ton oil tanker.

There are a total of 2,748 foreign workers working at the shipyard in Yeongam but there is still a shortage of labor. As part of efforts to tackle the shortage, HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries introduced a specialized training program for hull assembly, painting and other processes, to place 360 foreign workers with non-professional employment (E-9) visa to the shipbuilding site.

Han inspected the LNG shipbuilding site and met with representatives of HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries’ suppliers and foreign workers.

On Tuesday, Han plans to visit the provincial government of South Jeolla for a meeting with Governor Kim Yung-Rok. They will discuss the expansion of supply of foreign seasonal workers.

The government announced a measure to extend the stay period of foreign seasonal workers to up to eight months from five months. The move is expected to help the supply of foreign seasonal workers in rural areas that are suffering from labor shortage.

The South Jeolla provincial government received an allocation of 3,773 foreign seasonal workers for the first half of this year in the agricultural sector, up from 1,230 workers last year. The increase, however, is insufficient to completely resolve the labor shortage in the farming sector.