“Government to push forward with controversial trial scheme for ‘foreign domestic workers’”, 2 March 2025

…According to the budget proposal from the Ministry of Justice, obtained by People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek’s office on 2 March, a budget of 300 million KRW has been allocated for instructors’ fees for ‘foreign domestic worker training’. Last June, the Low Birthrate and Ageing Society Commission announced measures to reverse the country’s declining birth rate, one of which was to allow foreign students, spouses of foreign workers, and others staying in South Korea to engage in domestic and caregiving work. The Ministry of Justice had initially planned to launch this pilot programme in the second half of last year, but was unable to do so due to budget constraints. It now plans to implement it this year.

Domestic workers .... are not subject to most labour laws, such as the Labour Standards Act and the Minimum Wage Act. The Ministry of Justice explained the purpose of the pilot programme, stating, “Through improvements to the visa system, we aim to support the use of foreign workers staying in the country at a reasonable cost,” adding that the programme would allow foreign nationals residing in South Korea, such as foreign students (D2, D10 visas), spouses of marriage migrants (F-1-5 visas), and spouses of foreign workers (F-3 visas), to engage in domestic and childcare activities.

In response, Jo Hyeok-jin, a research fellow at the Korea Labour Institute, told Hankyoreh, “The launch of domestic worker training indicates that the government intends to create a pool of informal domestic and caregiving workers.” He added, “Globally, there is a trend towards reducing the informal domestic service sector, but we are instead moving backwards.”