S. Korea employment applications from Vietnam exceed quota threefold

By Hong Chieu May 16, 2024 | 05:01 pm PT

People participate in a Korean language proficiency exam in Hanoi, May 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Hong Chieu

Around 45,000 Vietnamese have applied to work abroad in South Korea this year, about three times the intended quota of 15,400, according to the Center of Overseas Labor.

The number of applicants as of May 14 this year is the highest ever seen in 20 years of the deployment of the Employment Permit System (EPS), the center reported.

This year, the Korean language proficiency test are being held in four locations until the end of June: Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Over 36,300 candidates have signed up for manufacturing, accounting for over 80% of applicants, while the sector has only called for 11,200 people.

For those who signed up for agriculture, aquaculture and construction, only 58% have passed the Korean language exams. However, when it comes to skills exams, over 90% have passed.

To ensure fairness and transparency, candidates must have their photographs confirmed before entering the exam rooms this year. Those found cheating or committing other exam violations have their exam results canceled and are banned from taking the tests for four years.

Vietnam has sent around 127,000 workers to South Korea under the EPS program, which launched in 2004. By October 2023, over 36,000 Vietnamese workers were in South Korea, with 10,000 of them, nearly a third, staying illegally.