South Korea Lists Countries Whose Citizens Are Eligible for Employment Permits
- South Korea updated its Employment Permit System to include citizens from additional countries, expanding access to its labour market
- The move reflects South Korea's efforts to address workforce shortages by broadening the pool of eligible foreign workers
- Specific countries were named in the updated list, signalling a shift in South Korea's immigration and labour policy
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South Korea has updated its Employment Permit System (EPS), revealing the list of countries whose citizens qualify to apply for work permits in the country.
The EPS, which is managed by the South Korean government, allows employers to hire foreign nationals for roles that local workers are unable to fill.
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The scheme has long been a key channel for labour migration into South Korea, particularly in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and fisheries.
Countries eligible under the employment permit System
The updated list includes a number of nations whose citizens are now eligible to seek employment in South Korea through official channels.
Countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, China, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, and East Timor have been recognised under the scheme.
Notably, Uganda was also confirmed as one of the African nations whose citizens are eligible to participate in the EPS, a development that has drawn attention across the continent given the relatively limited number of African countries on the list.
How the meployment permit system works
To participate in the EPS, eligible applicants are typically required to pass a Korean language proficiency test known as the EPS-TOPIK, which assesses their ability to communicate in Korean.
Successful candidates are then placed in a labour pool from which South Korean employers can select workers based on their needs.
Workers admitted under the EPS are granted fixed-term contracts and are expected to return to their home countries upon completion of their employment.
The system is designed to be orderly and transparent, with both employers and employees bound by specific regulations.
South Korea has increasingly relied on foreign labour to compensate for an ageing population and declining birth rate, both of which have placed significant pressure on its workforce.
Expanding the list of eligible countries forms part of a broader strategy to ensure that critical industries remain adequately staffed.
Citizens from the listed countries who are interested in working in South Korea are advised to contact their respective government labour agencies or the South Korean embassy in their country for guidance on application procedures and eligibility requirements.
42 countries can use South Korea Smart Entry Gate
YEN.com.gh reported earlier that South Korea had published a full list of 42 countries whose citizens could use automated Smart Entry Gates at its borders.
The list was dominated by European nations, with select Asian territories, Canada, Australia and New Zealand also qualifying.
No African country appeared on the list, meaning travellers from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa had to use standard manual border checks.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
