Vietnamese professionals in S. Korea nearly double over 4 years

Seoul, September 20 - The count of Vietnamese professionals holding South Korea's E-7-1 professional visa has nearly doubled within the last four years, data revealed on Sunday. As of August, 3,572 Vietnamese nationals were holders of the visa, which is 1.84 times higher than the 1,938 who held it in 2022, according to figures submitted by Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the Democratic Party via the justice ministry.

The E-7-1 visa is granted to foreigners working in designated professional fields, including information technology and robotics. Indian nationals also experienced a similar surge, with their numbers growing by 1.46 times to 1,014 during the same period. Conversely, Chinese nationals holding the visa saw a decline, dropping from 2,213 in 2022 to 1,566.

American E-7-1 holders also experienced a decrease, falling from 1,471 to 1,355. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals dominate another visa category, the semi-professional E-7-2, which covers sectors such as caregiving. They accounted for 80.6 percent of the 10,759 E-7-2 holders. The lawmaker expressed optimism about the influx of tech talent but emphasized the need for improved working and living conditions for these workers to generate greater synergy.