A new visa for local government entities will be customized to reflect a region's labor demand.
The Ministry of Justice on July 25 said it will introduce a "region-specific" visa system for foreign nationals who meet requirements for regional specialization on the condition that they stay and work in their designated areas for specific periods.
This measure is designed to improve the labor shortage and sluggish economic vitality of regions not in the Seoul metropolitan area due to the heavy concentration of people in and near the capital, low birth rate and rapidly aging population.
When a local government body in a region requests its required number of and conditions for foreign workers based on analysis of industrial structure and job status, the ministry will issue visas considering the optimal population demand of that area.
Non-nationals can receive an F-2 visa through recommendation from the head of a local government entity. Holders of this visa can live and work in their designated areas for five or more years. For example, an international student who studied health care at university can receive the visa and work as a caregiver at a hospital. Or a foreign worker with a welding certificate qualifies for the visa and get stably work at a related workplace.
Ethnic Koreans with foreign passports can receive the F-4 visa and stay in a certain area for over two years and work without restriction.
Before the system's official adoption, the ministry from Oct. 4 will hold a yearlong pilot operation in 89 areas, including the Dong-gu and Seo-gu districts of Busan. All 89 are designated reduced population regions by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The deadline for applications for designating such areas is Aug. 19 and the results will be announced on Sept. 5.
The Ministry of Justice said this project aims to "encourage non-Koreans to settle in reduced population areas suitable for industries, universities or jobs to help raise the population of locals governments, boost economic activities and slow population outflow."
"Going forward, we plan to actively pursue a visa policy by reflecting the demands of regions in cooperation with local government organizations," it added.
By Jung Joo-ri
etoilejr@korea.kr