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Video Description

Type: KIHASA Policy Featurette

Topic: Migrant Workers and Foreign Workers: What's the Difference?

Guest Speaker: Dr. Kim Ki-tae, Head, Center for Welfare State Research, KIHASA

Transcript

Kim:

Some foreigners come to Korea on E-9 visas, which are for non-professional employment. Others enter with H-2 visas for temporary employment under the Employment Permit System. In Korean law, these individuals are classified as "foreign workers." You can regard “migrant worker” as a broader concept than the legal definition of “foreign worker” in Korea.

Narrator voice-over:

The number of migrant workers in Korea is increasing every year. They work in various industries such as construction, manufacturing, and agriculture, and can easily be found in our neighborhoods. Migrant workers serve as a crucial workforce in so-called 3D industries and small businesses that are struggling with manpower shortages, yet their working conditions remain extremely poor.