Kazakhstan designated as workforce-sending country

Kazakhstan has been officially designated as a workforce-sending country under the employment permit system (EPS), with workers anticipated to begin arriving in South Korea in 2028, according to officials. This designation was made during a meeting of the foreign workforce policy committee, chaired by Government Policy Coordination Minister Lim Ki-keun.

The decision places Kazakhstan as the 18th country to join the EPS program, following a list that includes the Philippines, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Cambodia, China, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, East Timor, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, and Tajikistan. The decision to add Kazakhstan to the list was based on its ability to ensure fairness and transparency in workforce dispatch, as well as the presence of a dedicated government agency for such matters.

Additionally, no significant issues were identified with Kazakhstan's workforce training facilities or infrastructure. The EPS aims to facilitate transparent foreign worker recruitment without private sector involvement, through memorandums of understanding between South Korea and the designated sending countries.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.