Gangwon Province Ushers in Era of 11,000 Foreign Seasonal Workers... Directly Tackling Rural Labor Shortage

Record-High Number of Foreign Workers to Be Deployed
Customized Operation with “Farm-Type” and “Public-Type” Models
Ensuring Stable Workforce Supply

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) announced on March 10 that, ahead of the busy farming season, it will begin in earnest the entry of foreign seasonal workers starting in March to address the ongoing labor shortage in rural areas.

Exterior view of the Gangwon Province Government Building. Provided by Gangwon Province Special Self-Governing Province

This year, a total of 11,168 foreign seasonal workers have been assigned based on MOUs signed with eight countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. This represents an increase of 1,921 workers (20.7%) compared to last year.

In particular, as a follow-up measure to the Foreign Seasonal Worker Activation Meeting hosted by the Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (January 21, 2026), the province implemented a local project for operating entities (local agricultural cooperatives) that did not win selection in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ public offering. Through this, an additional 100 workers were allocated to four sites in four cities and counties.

The province is also participating in a public project by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to provide public accommodations for foreign seasonal workers.

These workers will be assigned to individual farms and local agricultural cooperatives (public rural manpower mediation centers) across 16 cities and counties in the province, and are expected to help alleviate rural labor shortages.

Foreign seasonal workers are operated under two categories: “farm-type” and “public-type.”

The “farm-type” category (10,409 workers) involves individual farms signing contracts directly with workers, while the “public-type” category (759 workers) involves local agricultural cooperatives signing contracts with workers and supplying them to farms in need of labor.

This customized labor supply system is expected to broaden the options available to farms and enable a more stable and efficient workforce supply.

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province is investing a total of 4 billion won in three projects to help foreign seasonal workers settle smoothly and improve their working conditions.

The main initiatives include establishing public seasonal worker centers, supporting the welfare of foreign seasonal workers (such as medical mutual aid associations, employment insurance, and industrial accident insurance), and improving accommodations.

In addition, the province plans to support the participation of family members or relatives of marriage migrants in work, aiming to enhance the stability of workers’ lives and alleviate labor shortages faced by farms.

Park Hyeongcheol, Director of the Agriculture Bureau of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, stated, “We expect that the introduction of foreign seasonal workers will resolve the labor shortage during the busy farming season and establish a stable foundation for agricultural production. We will continue to strengthen cooperation with relevant organizations, continuously improve the introduction process, and create an environment where both farms and workers can be satisfied.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.