The first 37 Vietnamese workers entered the Republic of Korea (RoK) on June 2 thanks to an extension of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Vietnam and the RoK on April 10 this year.

Of the labourers, 19 people came to the RoK for the first time after passing the Korean language examination in December 2011. The other 18 returned to the country for employment at RoK’s enterprises.

Under the MoU on supplying and receiving Vietnamese workers to the RoK under the Employment Permit System (EPS), 5,400 Vietnamese labourers are eligible to register for jobs in the RoK and a maximum of 2,900 will be chosen to work in the manufacturing and construction sectors in the host country.

The agreement covers workers who have not been chosen by RoK employers in the past, despite passing Korean language examinations by March 2014. It also supports the reconsideration of workers who returned to their homeland within the allotted time and passed language examinations after December 2011.

The MoU presents jobs opportunities in the RoK for new Vietnamese employees as well as workers with concluding labour contracts, especially in the context of the RoK’s initiatives to reduce illegal residence in the country.

According to the RoK Ministry of Employment and Labour, about 10,000 foreigners will be allowed to return to the country for employment, nearly doubling the 5,600 figure in 2014.-VNA