The Korean dream

(Baonghean)- Among the 2,500 Nghe An workers who passed the Korean language test in 2011, there are currently more than 500 people waiting to be called, and 200 other workers have given up. Many people consider this a gamble.

In September 2011, South Korea stopped the Korean language test for Vietnamese workers and in August 2012, the country temporarily stopped the program of receiving Vietnamese workers to work under the EPS program. At that time, Nghe An had nearly 2,500 workers who passed this rigorous test.

By the end of September 2014, when the EPS program was resumed, 1,757 people had been allowed to leave the country, more than 200 people voluntarily withdrew their applications or were not eligible, and 520 people were still waiting to leave the country.

Register for procedures to go to work abroad at the Provincial Employment Service Center.

Having passed the Korean language test in August 2011, Nguyen Van Loc (born in 1987) in Block 13, Cua Nam Ward (Vinh City) was full of hope of working in Korea. However, after waiting for nearly a year, Loc still did not receive any recruitment notice from the Nghe An Job Introduction Center (now renamed Nghe An Job Service Center).

Several times when Loc went to the Center to ask, the officers there advised him to wait patiently. In September 2012, Loc received a notice from the Center that Korea had stopped accepting workers for employment and asked him to go to the Center to get his passport and other related documents back.

Since January 2014, when Korea resumed accepting Vietnamese workers, still hoping to “change his life”, Mr. Loc went to the Employment Service Center to submit his passport and documents. But then, after more than 1 year and 9 months of anxious waiting, he still did not receive a call. In early October 2015, after discussing with his family and friends, Mr. Loc decided to give up his Korean dream.

Vietnamese workers participate in a festival in Korea. Photo: Phung Quang Trong.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hoang Van Tien (born in 1995) in Nghi Xuan commune (Nghi Loc) completed the procedures and received a notice that he was recruited by the Korean side. After going to Hanoi for orientation, when it was time to complete the exit procedures, Tien suddenly received a notice that his passport was invalid, so he was not eligible to leave the country. Tien wrote a "cry for help" to the Overseas Labor Center, the Department of Overseas Labor Management and received a response that... he would continue to wait.

In Nghi Xuan commune, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh (born in 1990) also encountered a similar situation. After a long time of waiting without a response, Linh thought she had lost all hope and got married, satisfied with running the market at home.

The situation of Mr. Loc, Mr. Tien and Ms. Linh is also the common situation of many workers waiting to go to Korea to work in recent years. Some people are impatient and have been taken advantage of by scammers.

Nghe An workers in Korea established SLNA - Korea football club.

Mr. Ho Xuan Hung, Director of the Provincial Employment Service Center, said: Currently, the EPS program is being resumed according to a special memorandum of understanding between the two countries in 2015 for 3 groups of Vietnamese workers to continue to work in Korea, including: Workers returning home on time, workers who passed the Korean language test in 2011, and agricultural workers in poor districts. Currently, Korea's demand for receiving foreign workers is quite large.

However, in order for the EPS program to not be interrupted, and for Vietnamese workers in general and Nghe An workers in particular to continue to work in Korea, we must solve a problem that has existed for years, which is the situation of workers residing illegally in the host country after their labor contracts expire.

By August 31, 2015, the province still had 1,216 illegal workers out of a total of more than 5,400 workers whose contracts had expired, accounting for 46.6%. Meanwhile, the national rate is currently below 40%.

“Workers need to be responsible for themselves, their families and the community, strictly comply with the labor policies of Korea and Vietnam, and return home on time so that others in Vietnam have the opportunity to work abroad. Those who have expired their return period will also be given priority to return to Korea according to their personal wishes,” Mr. Ho Van Hung advised.

Minh Quan