Uzbekistan, South Korea Strengthen Seasonal Labor Partnership in High-Level Talks

A delegation led by Behzod Musayev, Director of Uzbekistan’s Migration Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers, has met with Park Wan-su, Governor of South Korea’s Gyeongsangnam-do Province, to advance seasonal labor cooperation between the two regions.

During the talks, both parties agreed to recruit seasonal agricultural workers from the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan under South Korea’s E-8 visa program, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

These workers will be employed in the Hapcheon, Cheongnyeong, and Miryang districts for a period of eight months, following a 5+3 work scheme - five months of active work followed by a three-month extension.

The two sides signed a bilateral cooperation agreement that formalizes the recruitment process and outlines the terms for seasonal labor deployment. This agreement builds on prior understandings between Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry and South Korea’s Ministry of Justice to resume Uzbek participation in the seasonal work program.

The recruitment will initially focus on the three specified districts of Gyeongsangnam-do Province, with plans to potentially expand to other regions in 2026 based on workers’ discipline and performance.

Uzbekistan was the first country to participate in South Korea’s E-8 seasonal worker program in 2021, sending 420 workers. However, the program was temporarily suspended after some workers did not return home upon completion of their contracts.

Following extensive negotiations, South Korea has agreed to resume the program, reopening opportunities for Uzbek citizens to work seasonally in the country. Authorities stressed the importance of complying with employment contracts and South Korean laws, urging workers to return home after their contracts end.

Applications for the renewed program will open in November and December 2024, with updates to be published on the Uzbek Migration Agency's official Telegram channel, XORIJDA ISH.