More than 10,000 Vietnamese workers work seasonally in Korea under local cooperation

(Chinhphu.vn) - As of September 2025, more than 10,000 Vietnamese workers have gone to work seasonally in Korea under the cooperation program between localities of the two countries. This is a non-profit cooperation model, contributing to job creation, income increase and promoting the friendship between Vietnam and Korea.

Mr. Vu Truong Giang, Acting Director of the Department of Overseas Labor Management ( Ministry of Home Affairs ) spoke at the Conference - Photo: VGP/Thu Giang

On the afternoon of October 20, in Nghe An , the Ministry of Home Affairs coordinated with the People's Committee of Nghe An province to organize a conference to review the activities of sending workers to work abroad under the form of cooperation between localities of Vietnam and Korea.

In 2022, the Government issued Resolution No. 59/NQ-CP on continuing to pilot sending Vietnamese workers to work seasonally in Korea under the form of cooperation between localities of the two countries.

As of September 2025, 16 provinces and cities have signed and sent workers to work in Korea under the Seasonal Labor Program.

Mr. Vu Truong Giang, Acting Director of the Department of Overseas Labor Management (Ministry of Home Affairs) said that the program of sending workers to work seasonally in Korea is being effectively implemented under the agreement between localities of the two countries.

This is a non-profit cooperation program, which is of great significance in creating livelihoods, increasing income and promoting people-to-people exchange between Vietnam and Korea.

According to reports from 16/16 localities, by the end of September 2025, the total number of workers who had gone to Korea under this program was over 10,000. Of which, Ninh Binh led with over 3,100, Da Nang over 2,300, Dong Thap over 1,400.

The demand for participation in the program is very high, often many times higher than the recruitment target. Workers participating in the program are carefully selected, between the ages of 25 and 50, have experience in farming or fishing, are in good health, have not violated the law and have no relatives residing illegally in Korea.

After being recruited, they receive Korean language training and orientation education for 4-5 weeks, including content on culture, law, safety skills and behavior.

Thanks to thorough training and comprehensive support, the majority of Vietnamese workers are highly appreciated for their discipline and skills. The average income is from 30 - 47 million VND/month, not including overtime, after 5 - 8 months can accumulate 150 - 320 million VND.

Remittances from the program contribute significantly to the local economy. In addition to economic efficiency, the program also helps workers learn modern agricultural production skills, opening up new avenues for starting a business when they return home.

The Korean side also highly appreciated the effectiveness of the seasonal labor cooperation program, which has contributed to solving the problem of agricultural labor shortage in Korean localities, especially during the harvest season.

At the Conference, representatives of the Department of Home Affairs of Ninh Binh, Lai Chau, Quang Tri provinces... shared experiences in negotiating, selecting, training and managing workers, and at the same time proposed solutions to some difficulties in practical implementation.

To manage effectively, localities have set up Zalo groups, assigned focal officers or interpreters in Korea to monitor and support workers and coordinate with families in the country to mobilize and propagate. However, there are still cases of workers violating contracts or residing illegally in some localities.

In addition, some other shortcomings were mentioned such as: Incorrect selection of candidates, intermediary intervention, high cost of going to work (in some cases up to 65 million VND), limited foreign language ability and poor sense of discipline of some workers. In addition, there are still cases of Korean employers violating contracts, late payment of wages, or harsh working conditions...

Conference to review activities of sending workers to work abroad under the form of cooperation between Vietnamese and Korean localities - Photo: VGP/Thu Giang

Perfecting the legal framework and expanding the program scale

Therefore, many opinions suggest that it is necessary to continue expanding the implementation of this program; perfecting the legal framework in the direction of adding the form of sending workers to work seasonally under cooperation agreements between localities and foreign parties to the Law on Vietnamese workers working abroad under contracts (amended); clearly defining funding sources, maximum fees and ensuring the non-profit principle.

At the same time, it is necessary to prescribe strong sanctions to prevent escapes, unify the mechanism for handling deposits of violating workers; provide financial support for workers , especially poor households and ethnic minorities, through the loan policy of the Social Policy Bank; strengthen Korean language training and orientation education before departure, and maintain regular contact channels with workers abroad to provide timely support.

The delegates also recommended that the Korean side continue to closely coordinate in management, protect workers' rights, ensure working conditions and pay wages in accordance with regulations; at the same time, have mechanisms to encourage workers to complete their contracts, such as supporting air tickets to return home or reducing housing costs...

Earlier, in the morning of the same day, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the People's Committee of Nghe An province held a conference on "Promoting the effective implementation of programs to send workers to work abroad according to international agreements, meeting the requirements of tasks in the new situation", to comprehensively evaluate the current work of sending workers to work abroad.

Thu Giang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/hon-10000-luot-lao-dong-viet-nam-lam-viec-thoi-vu-tai-han-quoc-theo-hop-tac-dia-phuong-102251020152604665.htm