By Reporter Kayla lee

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mongolian Uvurkhangai State on July 26 to solve the manpower shortage during the agricultural season in the province.

The signing ceremony took place at the Uvurkhangai State City Hall, with Moon Kyung-sam, the head of Jeju's Agriculture and Livestock Department, and Adiyadeljing Ishdorj, the governor of Mongolia Uvurkhangai, signing the MOU and exchanging mutual agreements.

Following the signing of the MOU, both sides discussed expanding the introduction of seasonal agricultural workers between Jeju and Mongolia, as well as various issues related to tourism and cultural exchange, aiming for active cooperation in the agricultural sector based on mutual trust.

This agreement marks the second such initiative for the introduction of foreign seasonal workers, following a previous agreement signed in March in Namdinh Province, Vietnam.

With the decline in the rural population in the Jeju region leading to a continuing shortage of labor in the farming sector, the authorities plan to make every effort to secure and supply sufficient foreign seasonal workers.

Under this agreement, farms and agricultural corporations in need of seasonal labor will be able to choose the countries from which they wish to hire foreign seasonal workers, considering the agricultural environment and seasonal characteristics. The demand for labor will be met through recruitment, selection, and entry procedures in the chosen countries, with efforts made to ensure the workers can arrive in Jeju as quickly as possible.

In the future, the authorities plan to conclude similar agreements with Cambodia for the introduction of foreign seasonal workers and focus on farm placement and seasonal worker management.

Discussions for the introduction of foreign seasonal workers from Cambodia are ongoing, and they are aiming to finalize the agreement in October this year.

Once all three planned agreements for the introduction of foreign seasonal workers are successfully executed this year, it is anticipated that sufficient labor will be supplied to farms starting next year.

Additionally, the local agricultural cooperatives are expected to expand the "sharing work" system, where foreign seasonal workers are employed and supplied to farms in need, in preparation for the government's public project.

Moon Kyung-sam, the head of Jeju's Agriculture and Livestock Department, expressed hopes that through this agreement, Jeju and Mongolia can continue to cooperate as partners in various fields, including the economy and culture. He also stated that they will carefully monitor and actively support the working conditions of the workers coming from Uvurkhangai State to Jeju to ensure they have a favorable environment for their work.