Migrant workers harvest Chinese cabbages, or “baechu” in Korean, at a field in Haenam, South Jeolla Province, on Nov. 6, 2020, as the season arrives for “gimjang,” or kimchi-making. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — The Ministry of Justice said Wednesday it will mandate the placement of language helpers at municipal governments to protect the human rights of seasonal migrant workers.
When signing business agreements with foreign municipal governments, the ministry also plans to stipulate clauses requiring the placement of language helpers who can communicate in Korean.
To be qualified as language helpers, the applicants should have experience studying in South Korea or have achieved level 3 or higher on the National Institute for International Education’s Korean language test.
If married migrants are placed, the ministry plans to offer benefits in terms of residence permits.
The ministry also plans to strengthen the verification of human rights violations by creating an indicator identifying the damages from human rights violations customized for seasonal migrant workers and drawing up questionnaires by stage.
The ministry intends to abolish the deposit system to guarantee return to home country that has been criticized as having the potential of violating human rights, as well as improving the early adaptation program towards implementing customized education for the prevention of human rights infringements.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
