Experience of Migrant Agricultural Workers in the Republic of Korea

This paper examines the labour market experiences of migrant agricultural workers in the Republic of Korea. In 2003, the Korean government institutionalized a flexible foreign labour importation system, labelled the Employment Permit System (EPS), to address labour shortages in certain sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing, construction, agriculture and livestock and fisheries. The EPS serves the country’s main framework for the admission of foreigners into low-paid jobs shunned by local job seekers. For this reason, the EPS intends to tie migrant workers with their employers. In principle, an EPS worker is required to work at the workplace s/he was initially placed. Mobility in the labour market is highly restricted. The Korean government regulates the supply of EPS workers in each sector, and mobility between sectors is prohibited. However, EPS workers employed in the agricultural sector choose to become undocumented to seek better-paying jobs in the manufacturing sector. While the EPS is designed to use foreign labour to maximize economic benefits, it has created tension between EPS workers and Korean farmers. The EPS also resorts to the principle of rotation; EPS workers must leave the country after the completion of their contract. While this paper draws attention to the precarious status of migrant agricultural workers in South Korea, it also highlights resistance strategies employed by these migrant agricultural workers. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to analyse the experiences of migrant agricultural workers in Korea. Questionnaire surveys are currently being conducted among both migrant agricultural workers and their employers across the country.