Foreign workers in Korea increase by 25.5% in 2023

SEOUL: The number of foreigners who came to the Republic of Korea to get a job rose more than 25 percent on-year in 2023 to reach the second-largest figure ever, data showed, Yonhap News Agency reported. The number of incoming foreigners increased 16.2 percent on-year to 480,000 last year, and 36.1 percent of them, or 173,000, came here for a job, according to the data from Statistics Korea. By nation, 132,000 Chinese entered the Republic of Korea last year, followed by 71,000 people from Vietnam and 35,000 from Thailand. The growth came as the government expanded the quota for non-professional employment visas (E-9) for foreign workers and eased rules on employment of overseas Koreans, according to agency officials. Source: Emirates News Agency