Making it easier for foreign laborers in Korea

The Korea Times reports that the government will ease restrictions for migrant workers, allowing E-9 visa holders to stay for up to three years on a single visa and skip the one-month hiatus from their job to get renewal. 

While some say this will make it easier for workers to do that they came to Korea for—work!—by reducing expensive and cumbersome visa requirements, some critics say this will lock overseas workers into jobs that were not as good as promised. From the KT:

However, a labor union for foreign workers raised concerns over possible side effects of the rule-change.

"To attract more talented foreigners, Korean employers tend to exaggerate the working environment. Under the new rule, those who sign a three-year contract just believing what Korean employers say will have to work for three years with little chance of changing their workplace,'' said Chung Yong-sup, spokesman for the Migrants' Trade Union.

As with teaching visas, there needs to be a system where workers with legitimate grievances (like an employer not living up to the contract) are able to go to another job without serious penalty.