Minister Dung and the host’s Minister ofEmployment and Labour Lee Ki-kweon agreed to expand collaboration in labour,employment, social security, labour safety, social insurance, and particularlyincreasing quota for Vietnamese guest labourers to work in the RoK.
During a working session with RoK’s DeputyMinister of Employment and Labour Koh Young-sun, Minister Dung appreciated theRoK’s attention to the implementation of the bilateral comprehensivecooperation agreement in labour and employment.
Dung said his ministry will create favourableconditions for RoK citizens to do business or work in Vietnam.
The re-signing of the regular Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) to receive Vietnamese workers under the RoK’s EmploymentPermit System (EPS) in May 2016 has created a firm foundation for the twocountries to promote cooperation in the sphere, he added.
Among nearly 150,000 Vietnamese living andworking in the RoK, over 40,000 came under the EPS programme.
The two sides also exchanged measures to reducethe rate of illegal Vietnamese workers in the RoK, increase the quality ofVietnamese employees, and crack down on Korean businesses using illegal migrantworkers.
Koh Young-sun said the reduction of workersillegally overstaying their contracts is a crucial factor for the RoK toconsider the increase of EPS quota for Vietnamese labourers in 2017 and thefollowing years.
The RoK took note of the difficulties thatVietnamese fishermen in central provinces are facing due to the marineenvironmental incident in 2016 and pledged to create the best conditions forworkers in coastal districts of those localities to join the EPS programme, headded.
The two sides also discussed ways to createemployment for skilled workers after they complete their working contracts inthe RoK. They agreed that in the long-term, more attention will be paid to thesending and reception of skilled workers.
At a separate working session between MinisterDung and Chairman of the RoK-Vietnam Friendship Association Kim Hack-yong, thehost said he will continue to work to develop the two countries’ friendship andcooperation, especially in the field of labour.
Dung affirmed that the Vietnamese government ingeneral and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs in particularwill create the optimal conditions for foreign investors, including those fromthe RoK, to explore business opportunities in Vietnam.
Meeting with chairman of the RoK labour safetyassociation Kim Young-ki, Minister Dung stressed the need to build and applylabour standards for Korean companies operating in Vietnam and raise awarenessof labour safety and hygiene for workers.
The RoK pledged to provide training for its investorsbefore entering Vietnam and to support the building of labour safety criteriain the Southeast Asian country.-VNA