Vietnamese Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Hang and Korean Minister of Labour Lee Sang-soo signed a deal to bring Vietnamese labourers to the Republic of Korea (RoK) on July 24.

The deal was re-signed following a previous signing on June 2, 2004 under the Employment Permit System (EPS) which was approved by the RoK National Assembly in August 2003.

Under the deal, Vietnam can send 15,000 registered labourers to work in the RoK every year. They include those meet working conditions in the RoK, and those wishing to continue working in the country after they end contracts with the RoK.

Labourers will sign contracts to work in the RoK for three years, receive payment and insurance under the RoK Labour Law and Insurance Law, and obey all conditions signed in the contract.

Upon finishing the contract, Vietnamese labourers must return to Vietnam in the specific period. If they break the contract or stay in the RoK illegally, they will be expelled from the country and never allowed to re-enter. If a certain number of contracts are broken, the RoK will reduce the number of labourers permitted to Vietnam or end the deal.