{
  "id": 8592012,
  "title": "Vietnamese professionals in Korea nearly double over 4 years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/vietnamese-professionals-in-korea-nearly-double-over-4-years",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-20T03:02:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20260920/vietnamese-professionals-in-korea-nearly-double-over-4-years"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Over the past four years, the number of Vietnamese professionals holding Korea's E-7-1 professional visa has nearly doubled, according to data submitted to Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea by the justice ministry. As of August, there were 3,572 Vietnamese nationals with the visa, representing a 1.84 times increase from the 1,938 who held it in 2022. The E-7-1 visa is granted to foreign nationals working in designated professional fields like information technology and robotics.\n\nIndian nationals also saw a rise, increasing 1.46 times to 1,014 during the same period. However, Chinese nationals holding the visa declined, falling from 2,213 in 2022 to 1,566. American E-7-1 holders also experienced a decrease, dropping from 1,471 to 1,355.\n\nIn a separate visa category, Chinese nationals dominate the semi-professional E-7-2 visa, which covers areas such as caregiving. They made up 80.6 percent of the 10,759 E-7-2 holders. While Rep. Kim Joon-hwan viewed the influx of tech talent from Vietnam as a positive sign, he emphasized the need for Korea to improve working and living conditions for these workers to generate greater synergy.",
  "summary": "The number of Vietnamese nationals holding Korea's E-7-1 professional visa has nearly doubled over the past four years, data showed Sunday. As of August, 3,572 Vietnamese nationals held the visa, up 1.84 times from 1,938 in 2022, according to the data submitted to Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea by the justice ministry. The E-7-1 visa is granted to foreign nationals working in…",
  "key_points": [
    "Vietnamese professionals' E-7-1 visa nearly doubled to 3,572 by August",
    "Indian nationals' visa increased 1.46 times to 1,014",
    "Chinese nationals' visa decreased from 2,213 to 1,566"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The surge in Vietnamese professionals in Korea signals a shift in the country's tech talent pool, with Vietnam emerging as a key source of skilled workers in fields like IT and robotics.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Vietnamese professionals in S. Korea nearly double over 4 years",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/vietnamese-professionals-in-s-korea-nearly-double-over-4-years",
        "published": "2026-09-20T02:49:24.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Vietnamese professionals in Korea nearly double over 4 years",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/vietnamese-professionals-in-korea-nearly-double-over-4-years-8594040",
        "published": "2026-09-20T03:12:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}