▲ Financial Support Agreement for Foreign Seasonal Workers

Chungnam Province has joined hands with local governments and the financial sector to promote the foreign seasonal worker system and improve the social and economic perception of foreign workers.

On the 13th, the province signed a 'Business Agreement for Financial Support of Foreign Seasonal Workers' with 15 cities and counties in the province and NH Nonghyup Bank Chungnam Headquarters at the provincial office reception room.

This agreement was initiated to support foreign seasonal workers in quickly opening domestic bank accounts and safely remitting money overseas.

Recently, rural areas have been actively recruiting foreign seasonal workers due to labor shortages caused by population decline and aging. However, many seasonal workers face difficulties such as language barriers when opening domestic bank accounts to receive their wages.

In response, the province arranged this agreement to address issues directly related to workers' livelihoods, such as delayed wage payments due to postponed account openings or loss of cash wages.

Through this agreement, the province and 15 cities and counties will cooperate in providing interpreters for each country through multicultural centers to open accounts on the day seasonal workers arrive. They will also share the arrival schedules of foreign seasonal workers with the bank so that NH Nonghyup Bank Chungnam Headquarters can prepare for group account openings.

NH Nonghyup Bank Chungnam Headquarters (city and county branches) will handle account openings for wage remittances and overseas remittance services, and actively cooperate to ensure foreign seasonal workers can smoothly conduct domestic financial activities.

Based on this agreement, the province plans to provide better working conditions for foreign seasonal workers and strengthen human rights protection. At the same time, it will enhance agricultural workforce support to ensure stable and timely supply of agricultural labor to farms experiencing rural labor shortages.

Governor Kim Tae-heum and Park Jang-soon, Head of NH Nonghyup Bank Chungnam Headquarters, attended the signing ceremony, where they shared the progress of the initiative and signed the agreement.

At this meeting, Governor Kim expressed his intention to continue cooperating and communicating with cities and counties and NH Nonghyup Bank Chungnam Headquarters for the smooth implementation of the seasonal worker program to address the shortage of rural labor. He emphasized that he would do his best for the development of agriculture and rural areas.

Meanwhile, the province has actively expanded the recruitment of seasonal workers after COVID-19, attracting 1,050 workers in 2022 and 3,933 workers in 2023.

This year, as of the end of October, 7,027 seasonal workers have been recruited, a 178% increase compared to the previous year, playing an important role in solving the labor shortage during the farming season and supporting timely farming for agricultural households.

Department in charge: Agricultural Policy Division, Rural Workforce Welfare Team

Phone number: 041-635-4018