By Aisylu Akhmetzianova

Gangwon-do Province (Gangwon State) this year will have a record-high number of foreign seasonal workers of over 9,000.

The Gangwon State government on Feb. 27 said it will bring in 9,168 such laborers from next month under a memorandum of understanding signed with the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

The number is a big jump from 3,949 in 2022, 6,800 in 2023 and 7,435 last year. This year's figure is up 19% (1,733) from that of 2024.

Seasonal foreign laborers will work at farms and provincial agricultural cooperatives (public seasonal labor centers) in Gangwon-do's 16 cities and counties. Under the farm-type format (8,763 people), a farm directly concludes contracts with workers but the public-type arrangement (405) has a cooperative signing deals with laborers for deployment to farms that need workers.

To help stabilize the situation of such laborers, public funding of KRW 4.1 billion won will go toward five projects including the launch of public seasonal work centers; support for personnel benefits like medical, employment and occupational hazard insurance; housing assistance; and invitation of the relatives of marriage immigrants to Korea.

aisylu@korea.kr