KOREAN NET

The Ministry of Justice on Feb. 25 announced a pilot program to run through year's end to allow the parents of foreign students in the country to work as seasonal laborers. (Imsil-gun County Office)

The Ministry of Justice on Feb. 25 announced a policy action to improve the seasonal work system by expanding the foreign labor force in rural and fishing villages ahead of the spring farming season.

The ministry will first conduct a pilot project of inviting the parents of foreign students in the nation on the D-2 visa to work as seasonal laborers on either the C-4 or E-8 visa through year's end.

Under this initiative, such parents can be seasonal workers in regions close to their children's schools for three to eight months as long as the parents have no criminal record and are aged 55 or younger. The students must have attended university outside the Greater Seoul area for at least a year and have two or more semesters remaining.

Not eligible are the parents of students in language programs with a D-4 visa or at universities in the Seoul metropolitan area with a D-2 visa.

Another pilot program over the same period is a cooperation plan on the use of memorandums of understanding (MOU) on seasonal work among local governments. Allowing such administrations to use their MOUs with other local governments nationwide to invite seasonal workers, the initiative will be used especially in contingencies such as restrictions on the entry of seasonal workers.

The ministry said, "We will continue developing the system so that foreign seasonal workers can enter the country at the right times amid growing demand from agriculture and fisheries to hire foreign labor for short periods or at specific times."


By Israa Mohamed
ess8@korea.kr