Businesses hiring foreign workers to be inspected

By Lee Hyo-sik

Businesses employing nonprofessional foreign workers will come under state inspection of their hiring practices, beginning May 2.

It is part of government efforts to better protect the rights of non-Korean employees and prevent the employment of illegal aliens, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Sunday.

The ministry said its inspectors will look into some 1,800 factories and other employers of foreign laborers across the country, through June 30, to check whether their hiring systems abide by laws concerning the working conditions of non-Korean workers.

In particular, restaurants, construction sites and other labor-intensive businesses which employ large numbers of ethnic Koreans from overseas will be closely scrutinized for irregularities.

“We will thoroughly examine if businesses are violating the rights of foreign workers and employing illegal aliens. To those breaking the law, we will issue an administrative warning, impose fines, or refer them to the prosecution in accordance with the degrees of the offense,” a ministry official said.

He also said inspectors will hear the opinions of employers and foreign workers, and reflect them in future labor policies.

“A revised law imposing harsher punishment against those employing illegal aliens will go into effect in July. During the upcoming inspection, we will publicize such changes and encourage employers to hire only foreigners staying here legally,” the official said.

The labor ministry said that as of the end of February, the number of foreign residents here reached 1.27 million. Of the 1.27 million, 689,017 were on legitimate payrolls.

Of the 689,017, 175,903 foreign workers, mostly from Southeast Asian countries, came here under the employment permit system, while the number of ethnic Koreans engaging in economic activities stood at 285,769.

Non-Koreans overstaying their visas to work illegally totaled 170,284.