South Korea may suspend issuance of work visas to Uzbekistanis

South Korea may suspend the issuance of work visas if the number of undocumented Uzbek workers in the country continues to rise. This was announced on January 17 by Uzbekistan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to South Korea, Alisher Abdusalomov, during an open dialogue between ambassadors and entrepreneurs.

According to Abdusalomov, although there are plans to send up to 5,000 labor migrants to South Korea annually under the established quota, in practice only about 600 Uzbek citizens are sent each year. One of the main reasons for this, he said, is that South Korean employers are reluctant to hire Uzbek workers.

“Our workers often leave their assigned workplaces and move elsewhere illegally. At present, 9 percent of our citizens in South Korea are staying illegally. If this figure reaches 10 percent, the South Korean Ministry of Justice will suspend visa issuance. This applies not only to work visas, but also to education-related visas. Young people who come for language courses or university studies often drop out and switch to illegal employment. As a result, South Korean companies are developing a negative perception of Uzbek workers,” Abdusalomov said.

It was also noted at the meeting that nearly 100,000 Uzbek citizens are currently living in South Korea. Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khojayev instructed Ambassador Abdusalomov to work on expanding labor migration in a more systematic and high-quality manner.

Officials additionally stressed the importance of ensuring that citizens who travel abroad under contracts to work in specific sectors do not leave those jobs to move into other fields illegally.