1st batch of workers go to S Korea by year-end

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The first batch of about 3,000-4,000 Bangladeshi workers are likely to leave for South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS) by the end of this year, reports UNB.
Bangladesh and South Korea signed an MoU on the EPS during Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury's visit to Seoul in June last. The MoU is aimed at protecting the welfare of the workers.
"We hope, thousands of Bangladeshi workers will benefit from the scheme… it will also resolve the problems linked with recruiting agencies being criticised here and there," South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Suk-Bum Park told the news agency Friday.
He said a delegation from Korea came to Dhaka in August as part of implementation of details of the MoU.
The ambassador said thousands of young Bangladeshi workforce are now learning Korean language in different institutes as they will have to appear for Korean language test before going to Korea.
Replying to a question, he said there is no concept of quota unlike previous recruitment. "The new system is based on merit."
The ambassador, however, indicated that around 10,000 Bangladeshi workers might go to Korea annually if they know the Korean language. "These temporary workers can stay for three years and do decent jobs if they know the language," he said.
Presently, some 12,000 to 13,000 Bangladeshi workers are employed in Korea, many of them overstaying.
The ambassador said the government -- related organisations in Dhaka and Seoul would recruit the workers to minimise the recruitment cost.
South Korea needs foreign workers in construction, small and medium enterprises, service sectors, agriculture and fisheries.
In reply to a question, the envoy said there are roughly 300,000 foreign workers in Korea, mostly from China. He said annually they will require about 100,000 foreign workers if replacement goes well.