South Korea will allocate more than 22,000 additional seasonal migrant workers in the second half of this year to tackle chronic labor shortages in its agricultural and fisheries sectors, the justice ministry said Friday.
The ministry said it held a joint meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on Tuesday and approved the allocation of 22,731 seasonal workers to 100 local governments across the country.
With the latest decision, the total number of seasonal workers assigned for this year rises to 95,700, marking a 41 percent increase from last year’s 67,778.
The agriculture ministry also plans to allow local governments to run public seasonal worker programs using local funds starting in the second half after getting approval by the government. (PNA)