Vietnamese media including VnExpress reported that on May 5, the Dong Thap Employment Service Center held a send-off for 206 workers departing for South Korea. The group is to travel to Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi province and Cheorwon in Gangwon province, where they are expected to work in agriculture for about eight months.
Nguyen Phu Hieu, director of the Dong Thap Employment Service Center, said sending workers abroad is “not simply to address unemployment,” calling it a key strategy for local social and economic development. “Workers who return from overseas bring back not only capital, but also valuable knowledge, workplace discipline and vocational skills,” he said.
Nguyen said the province plans to expand seasonal work placements to new markets such as Germany and Russia. He urged local authorities to provide careful support to families of departing workers, and repeatedly told workers to comply strictly with host-country laws and contract terms to avoid violations. Officials from the employment service center and provincial people’s committees handed out gifts and took commemorative photos at the event.
Earlier, on March 26, the Can Tho Employment Service Center held a departure ceremony for 76 workers bound for Cheorwon. The workers, recognized for diligence and prior work experience, passed a direct selection process by South Korea and are expected to work there for eight months.
On April 30, 20 seasonal workers who entered South Korea from Dak Lak attended a welcome event at the Gyeongsan Agricultural Technology Center. After completing required training, they were to be assigned to farms starting May 6.
Seasonal foreign workers must enroll in three mandatory insurance plans
South Korea is also revising rules aimed at improving working conditions for foreign workers. Since Feb. 15, seasonal workers on E-8 visas have been required to enroll in three mandatory insurance plans: accident insurance, wage arrears guarantee insurance and farmers and fishers safety insurance.
Accident insurance must be purchased by the worker. According to an official notice the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs sent to provincial and municipal people’s committees, workers must complete enrollment within 15 days of arrival to ensure coverage for medical costs arising from accidents or illness during their stay in South Korea. Violations can draw fines of up to 5 million won.
Minimum coverage requirements are specified: at least 30 million won for accidental death and injury; at least 15 million won for death or injury due to illness; and at least 10 million won for actual medical expenses. Workers may buy travel insurance in Vietnam in advance or enroll in products offered by private insurers after arriving in South Korea. Premiums for seasonal workers run about 20,000 won per month.
Employers must enroll in the wage arrears guarantee insurance and the farmers and fishers safety insurance. The wage arrears policy provides compensation of up to 4 million won per seasonal worker if wages are not paid on time. The safety insurance provides benefits including 120 million won in death benefits, 10 million won for funeral costs and up to 50 million won in medical expenses.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said it will allow a one-year guidance period.
The measures come as South Korea’s rural areas rely more heavily on foreign labor. Statistics cited in the report said the number of foreign workers in agriculture is expected to rise from about 20,000 in 2020 to more than 100,000 in 2025 due to aging. From 2020 to 2024, the average industrial accident rate in agriculture was 0.78%, similar to manufacturing at 0.79%, but the average death rate per 10,000 workers was higher than in manufacturing.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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