Ukrainians residing in Korea are receiving an appropriate level of protection. In this regard,
related laws and regulations should be amended so that the status and treatment of
humanitarian sojourners conform with the purpose of supplementary protection under
international norms.
2) Poor Living Conditions for Migrant Agricultural Workers and Countermeasures
A) The Importance of Migrant Agricultural Workers and Problems of Poor Living
Conditions
As of 2022, migrant workers provide the core labor force in the domestic agricultural
sector. Although it is difficult to find statistics that accurately calculate the number of
migrant workers in the agricultural sector, the number of migrant workers staying in Korea
through the agricultural sector (E-9-3) under the Employment Permit System231) and the
seasonal worker system232) is estimated to be more than 23,000.
This is the result of an increase in demand for migrant workers in rural areas as the aging
of farmers and the insufficiency of agricultural labor intensify. In general, the relationship of
substitution between domestic workers and migrant workers occurs when the labor cost of
migrant workers is low, and in contrast, the agricultural sector appears to prefer migrant
workers who can provide stable workforce due to labor shortages.233) However, the reality is
that it is difficult to hire the necessary manpower in a timely manner for various reasons. In
particular, recently, due to the influence of COVID-19, the number of migrant workers has
decreased234) and aggravated the labor shortages in rural areas.
231) The Employment Permit System, which began in 2004, is not limited to the agricultural sector. This is a system in
which the government annually determines the size of foreign workers, including manufacturing and service
sectors, and introduces foreign workers to each sector accordingly. As a rule, full-time employment is applied, and
some permitted items (crop cultivation, livestock, agriculture-related service) and farmhouses of a certain size or
more are subjected.
232) The seasonal worker system has been implemented since 2015 as a system that allows small farms to hire
foreigners for a short term (up to 5 months) in response to seasonal and short-term labor demands in agriculture,
such as fruit and vegetable fields.
233) The result of a survey conducted by the Korea Rural Economic Institute in 2017 indicates that the biggest reason for
hiring migrant workers in farm households was securing stable employment (58.82%), followed by sincerity of
migrant workers (29.41%), labor cost reduction compared to Koreans (7.84%) and excellent work ability (3.92%).
234) The number of foreign workers staying under the Employment Permit System is estimated to have decreased by
about 59,000 from approx. 277,000 at the end of 2019 to approx. 218,000 at the end of 2021.
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