Jeju to crack down on illegal practices of foreign worker recruiters

Jeju Island / Korea Times file

By Park Si-soo

Jeju Island will crack down on the illegal practices of recruiters of foreign workers this year as part of efforts to curb a hike in the number of undocumented foreigners on the resort island.

The city inspected 98 agencies last year, busting 22 for minor violations and accusing two of serious cases. Illegal practices included recruiting people without a concrete payment policy, without or having expired surety insurance, charging exorbitantly high brokerage fees, or recruiting non-working visa holders.

The city said violators could face up to a year in jail or a 10 million won fine.

According to justice ministry data, the number of undocumented foreigners on Jeju rose to 11,979 as of July 2018, up from 9,846 in 2017 and 7,788 in 2017.

Many of them entered Jeju by taking advantage of the self-governing island's visa waiver program for short-term travelers and landed a job there or on mainland Korea through recruitment agencies or independent brokers.