Gov't to adopt foreign worker permit system

The government said August 24 that it will adopt a work permit system for foreign workers to better guarantee their human rights. It also announced that the current Industrial Trainee System will be terminated.

The government and the ruling Millennium Democratic Party came to an agreement on the work permit issue, and said that the related law will be reviewed for passage at the upcoming National Assembly in October.

The decision to adopt the system, which will grant foreign workers the same three basic labor rights that domestic workers currently enjoy, was reached at a meeting held between the MDP`s chief policy maker, Lee Hai-Chan, and Labor Minister Kim Ho-Jin at a hotel in downtown Seoul.

Under the new system, a special committee for foreign workers, which will operate under the Prime Minister`s Office, will estimate the demand for foreign workers each year by sector. The committee will grant work permits upon receiving applications submitted by would-be employees. The permit will be valid for a year and is eligible for renewal up to two times.

With the new system pending, the government will grant work permits to or deport the estimated 160,000 illegal foreign workers currently in the nation.

However, the decision is expected to cause controversy as the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Businesses voiced its strong opposition to it, citing the possibility of labor disputes between Korean employers and foreign employees.