By Reporter Lee Joon-seok

A delegation consisting of six members, including Vice Minister Phongthai Intharath of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Laos and Deputy Chief of Mission Aruncon Boulomma Bong of the Laotian Embassy in South Korea, visited Andong City to discuss cooperation regarding the invitation of foreign seasonal workers on July 24.

The visit of the Laotian delegation to Andong City was in response to Mayor Kwon Ki-chang's visit to the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Laos in December last year to sign an MOU for the introduction of foreign seasonal workers in the agricultural sector.

In the meeting, representatives from local agricultural cooperatives attended to enhance the practicality of the "public-type seasonal work program," which directly employs and manages seasonal workers and places them in farms in need of short-term labor.

Vice Minister Phongthai Intharath of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Laos stated, "Following the MOU for seasonal workers between Andong City and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Laos last year, I hope that the labor shortage issue in Andong City's agriculture sector can be resolved. Through this visit to Andong City, I will make efforts to further enhance friendly relations between our two countries."

In response, Mayor Kwon Ki-chang welcomed the visit of the Laotian delegation to Andong City and expressed, "The introduction of Laotian seasonal workers has been of great assistance to farms facing labor shortages. We will continue to make our best efforts to promote friendly relations between Andong City and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Laos through continuous personnel exchange."

Meanwhile, this year, Andong City has placed 163 Laotian seasonal workers in 58 farms within the city in an effort to address rural labor issues.