The sending of Vietnamese labourers to the Republic of Korea (ROK) was officially resumed on May 21 morning, after more than one year of disruption due to the expiration of the two countries’ agreement on this issue and COVID-19 outbreaks. |
A flight of the ROK’s Asiana Airlines on May 20 night brought 24 Vietnamese labourers to the ROK under the agreement re-signed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour in March. This is the result of joint efforts by both countries’ relevant agencies amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Vietnamese workers are expected to be sent to the ROK this year, as the country said that it would receive 8,200 Vietnamese labourers, with 8,000 working in the manufacturing industry and 200 in the fisheries sector. Son Sung Won from the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business (KBIZ), who has engaged in supporting Vietnamese labourers since 2001, said that the ROK’s small- and medium-sized enterprises appreciate Vietnamese labourers as they work hard and are skillful. He suggested Vietnamese agencies pay attention to helping labourers quickly finish all necessary procedures to seize post-pandemic opportunities. According to the Management Board of Vietnamese Labourers in the ROK, from March 2020 to April 2021, 5,000 Vietnamese were chosen to sign contracts with Korean employers. The Korean side will at first receive 290 employers who signed their contracts last year and completed visa procedures. Vietnamese labourers will be quarantined for 14 days and tested for COVID-19 twice under the host country’s regulations. Source: Nhan Dan Online |