South Korea - The Times Of Central Asia

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Central Asians Continue Working in South Korea Despite Legal Issues

The authorities in the Republic of Korea have offered an option to citizens of Uzbekistan who are in the country illegally to return home without facing legal repercussions. To do this, they must voluntarily leave South Korea by February 29th to avoid being subject to deportation rules and be able to return legally in the future. According to the Agency for External Labor Migration of Uzbekistan, illegal migrants can apply for voluntary departure with the immigration service of Korea up until three working days before the expected date of departure. Applicants need to present their passport and an airline ticket. The service will then issue the migrant an identity card, with which Uzbekistani nationals will be able to return to their home country without hindrance. South Korea is one of the most popular destinations for Uzbeks, both for work and studies, with Uzbeks occupy fifth place by size of foreign diaspora in the country and numbering more than 69,000. Among them are a large number who are in Korea illegally; according to this indicator, Uzbekistan ranks third. The most popular scheme involves obtaining a D-4 visa, which is granted to foreign citizens who study the Korean language. Having received this and reached the Korean peninsula, citizens of Uzbekistan then start working and stay in the country illegally. In recent years, the Government of Uzbekistan has established regulations for legal and safe labor migration to South Korea, and at the start of 2024, the republic announced its intention to attract 100,000 Uzbeks to work in the country. Workers are required in sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, services, and construction. To enter the South Korean workforce legally, Uzbeks need to pass language qualification exams and interviews. Labor migration to South Korea is also well established in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Over the past 16 years, 5,000 Kyrgyz have been employed. Citizens of Kyrgyzstan can work there under a contract for four years and nine months, and receive more $2,000 per month. This year, Korea has allocated a quota for labor migrants in the amount of 3,300 people - an increase of 18% on 2023. By contrast, the issue of labor migration to South Korea from Kazakhstan is still at the negotiation stage. If the parties reach an agreement, Kazakhs will be able to work in Korea for three years - provided they successfully pass the language and professional tests. However, the lack of an agreement does not stop those who wish to earn money in Korea: according to the immigration service of Korea, since the beginning of 2023 about 7,000 Kazakh citizens have been staying in the country without labor visas. The number of companies interested in hiring illegal migrants in South Korea is constantly expanding for one simple reason: it's profitable. Migrants are not protected in any way in case of labor disputes, and they earn much lower wages than legal workers. Accordingly, the number of migrants who die working in dangerous industries is also increasing. From 2019 to 2022 alone, 61 Kazakh...

Disaster Response South Korea

Korea Helps Build Firefighting Station in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan

On December 8th, a landmark ceremony was held in the city of Cholpon-Ata to mark the successful completion of the construction of a fire and rescue station built by cooperation between the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Government of the Republic of Korea, the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UNDP website stated. The Plenipotentiary Representative of the Kyrgyz President in the Issyk-Kul region, the Minister of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the Kyrgyz Republic, KOICA Country Director, and the UNDP Resident Representative attended the ceremony. This construction is part of a broader initiative to construct four fire and rescue stations across Kyrgyzstan, with the other three to be in Bishkek, Osh, and Suzak (Jalal-Abad region). The collaboration aims not only to bolster the Kyrgyz Republic's disaster management capabilities with the supply of modern firefighting equipment and machinery, and to enhance the overall quality of firefighting services. Along with technical assistance, the UNDP improved the working conditions of firefighters, mainstreamed gender equality, expanded universal access to fire services, and ensured adherence to sustainable development principles. Boobek Azhikeev, the Minister of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic, noted the project's timeliness, given the annual increase in the number of fires. “Major fires around the world, which have claimed many lives and turned mountain forests into ash, are once again calling for firefighters and rescuer services in Kyrgyzstan to strengthen their efforts,” he said. “As part of our cooperation, we have successfully implemented the initial stages of a grant project to increase the capacity of the fire and rescue service with a total amount of $8 million.” The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Lee Won-jae stated that “since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, Korea and Kyrgyzstan have expanded cooperation in various fields, and we hope that exchanges and cooperation between the two countries will expand and deepen in the future. The Korean government plans to continue to strengthen development cooperation to assist Kyrgyzstan's socioeconomic development and improve the quality of life of its people.” Ms. Alexandra Solovieva, the UNDP Resident Representative, emphasized the importance of disaster risk reduction and climate emergency response. “We joined hands to expand access to more than 400,000 people to receive timely assistance in case of emergencies,” she stated. “We worked to reduce incident response times by providing modern equipment and technology that play a key role in saving the lives of people in the Issyk-Kul region.” While the Cholpon-Ata fire and rescue station is now operational, construction in Bishkek, Osh, and Suzak is progressing and is expected to be completed by next year.

South Korea Labor Trade Migration Economy Investments Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan expanding trade, investment ties with South Korea

BISHKEK (TCA) — The Republic of Korea is among Kyrgyzstan’s closest partners in the Asian region, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Mukhammedkaly Abylgaziev said at the Kyrgyz-Korean business forum on July 17 in Bishkek. Continue reading

South Korea Kazakhstan Culture

Large exhibition of Kazakhstan’s contemporary art opens in South Korea

ASTANA (TCA) — The National Museum of Kazakhstan has opened the exhibition “Eurasian Utopia: Post Scriptum” at Suwon Ipark Museum of Art in South Korea. The exhibition was organized in collaboration with the museum. More than 100 works of 57 artists of the Soviet period and modern times are presented. The exhibition is the fourth and final in a series of foreign events of the Focus Kazakhstan international project, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported. Continue reading

South Korea Investments Kazakhstan Economy

Kazakhstan expanding business ties with South Korea

ASTANA (TCA) — Within the investment week in Seoul from April 17-20, with the support of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in South Korea, members of the Kazakhstan delegation led by the Vice Minister for Investments and Development, Arystan Kabikenov, took part in a business summit and forum, and held talks with South Korean businessmen interested in investing in Kazakhstan, Kazakh Invest National Company for Investment Support and Promotion reported. In Seoul, members of the Kazakh delegation took part in the Infrastructure Investor Seoul Summit 2018. During the summit, the main global trends of investment flows were considered and issues of investment in infrastructure, renewable energy sources and other promising sectors were discussed. Also, Kazakhstani representatives made a presentation of the projects of public-private partnership in Kazakhstan at the Global Project 2018 Forum. Vice Minister for Investments and Development of Kazakhstan, Arystan Kabikenov took part in the opening of Korea's largest annual transport and logistics event. In addition, Kabikenov, together with the Minister of Land and Infrastructure, and Transport of Korea, Kim Huyn-mi, and the leaders of the largest transport companies opened an exhibition at the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX). At the exhibition, the thematic pavilions for logistics, warehousing, sorting, etc. were presented. During the KINTEX exhibition, separate meetings were held with representatives of major South Korean companies on the development of cooperation. In particular, the prospects of cooperation in the fields of logistics and transport services were discussed with the head of Pantos company, Yunho Li, and the Minister of Transport, Kim Huyn-mi. During the meeting with SK and Korea Expressway Corporation, Arystan Kabikenov said that the construction of the Big Almaty Ring Road (BAKAD) is one of the most significant infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan. SK President Jason An noted that the launch of this project is the first step in deepening the company's cooperation with Kazakhstan in various areas. Representatives of Korea Expressway Corporation told about innovations in the field of construction and maintenance of highways. The company serves 4,700 km of toll roads in Korea. At the meeting, an agreement was reached to deepen cooperation with Kazakhstan’s road company KazAvtoZhol JSC in the field of road construction and the introduction of new technologies. At a meeting with Hyundai Corporation, the issues of manufacturing equipment for the needs of the agro-industrial complex were considered. "Kazakhstan has a great potential for the production of agricultural machinery and exports to such markets as Russia and the countries of Central Asia," said Greg Nam, vice president of Hyundai Corporation. Within the framework of the Investment Week, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Invest, Rustam Issatayev, and Vice President of Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, Won-Sok Yun, signed a memorandum of cooperation.

Investments Kazakhstan South Korea

Kazakhstan holding investment week in South Korea

ASTANA (TCA) — Negotiations have been held between Kazakhstan’s delegation headed by the Vice-Minister for Investments and Development Arystan Kabikenov and the largest South Korean companies on the activation of bilateral economic cooperation in Seoul, the Kazakh Invest national company for investment support and promotion reported on April 17. Continue reading