A Memorandum of Understanding signed yesterday morning between the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour. — Photo vnexpress.net

Viet Nam News -HÀ NỘI — South Korea will receive 3,500 Vietnamese labourers following the Employment Permit System this year, after a Memorandum of Understanding signed yesterday morning between the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour.

The initiative is resuming after three years of South Korean limits on Vietnamese labourers, due to the high rate of illegal Vietnamese workers in the country. The number of Vietnamese workers allowed into South Korea was reduced from 18,000 in late 2013 to 15,000 in late 2015, thanks to the efforts of both sides.

The two sides’ authorised agencies will work together to test Korean fluency and working skills of candidates soon.

The South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour (MoEL) said it decided to resume this initiative because South Korean enterprises employing foreign labourers asked their government to sign the new MoU.

The companies said Vietnamese workers adapt well to the new working environment and quickly acquire the necessary skills. Meanwhile, Việt Nam has proposed a plan to improve the management of its workers and to curb the number of Vietnamese overstaying their visas in South Korea.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs announced that illegal Vietnamese workers in South Korea who voluntarily return home between May 1 to September 30 this year will not have to pay administrative penalties.

The move is aimed at encouraging and facilitating the return of Vietnamese workers. It will also reduce the rate of Vietnamese workers staying and working illegally in South Korea.

The MoEL also reported that some 10,000 South Korean employees are working at 3,300 South Korean enterprises in Việt Nam.

Việt Nam recently tightened the process of granting visas to foreign workers, which could create difficulties for South Korean companies who want to send employees to work in Việt Nam.

Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam yesterday received South Korean Minister of Employment and Labour Lee Ki-kweon, who is on a working visit to Việt Nam. Đam suggested that the two sides maintain close co-ordination in implementing measures to reduce the number of illegal Vietnamese guest workers in South Korea, including the provision of information about labourers whose work contracts have expired.
The Vietnamese Government will create favourable conditions for Korean citizens and investors to live and do business in Việt Nam, he said.
The Korean minister stated Vietnamese workers adapt well to the working environment in South Korea. The signing of the MoU will open up more opportunities for Vietnamese labourers who want to work in South Korea, and for those who are residing and working illegally in South Korea to voluntarily return home, he said. — VNS