Hoengseong County Signs Agreement with Cambodia to Recruit Seasonal Workers, Easing Labor Shortages

【Financial News Hoengseong = Reporter Kim Ki-seop】Hoengseong County is expanding its seasonal-worker supply network to Cambodia to address labor shortages during the busy farming season.
According to Hoengseong County on the 2nd, the county signed an agreement with Cambodia’s Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training on the 1st to recruit foreign seasonal workers. The agreement was pursued to diversify sending countries, improve a seasonal-worker supply structure concentrated in certain countries, and secure a stable labor supply network.
A delegation led by Jeon Jae-do, director of the Economy and Industry Bureau, is visiting Cambodia on a four-night, six-day schedule from August 30 through September 4. After holding the signing ceremony on the 1st, the delegation will visit agricultural sites operated by local governments during the remainder of its trip to assess the worker-dispatch management system and local agricultural conditions.
Hoengseong County expects the agreement to reduce uncertainty in labor supply caused by factors such as delays in visa issuance or disruptions to entry from any one country. It also expects farms to receive workers reliably when they are needed.
Based on the agreement, the county plans to systematically improve local selection criteria, entry procedures, and measures to prevent workers from leaving their assigned workplaces. Cambodian seasonal workers will then be assigned gradually to farms in the county starting in 2027.
Jeon Jae-do, director of Hoengseong County’s Economy and Industry Bureau, said, "We will ease the burden on farms struggling with labor shortages by expanding the pool of sending countries and establishing a stable foundation for labor supply." He added, "We will continue to strengthen our close cooperation system with the relevant Cambodian authorities."

[email protected] Kim Ki-seop Reporter