Ministry urged to revise Aussie working holiday program
By Jun Ji-hye
The ruling Saenuri Party suggested that the foreign ministry revise the working holiday visa program for Australia, following the recent deaths of two Koreans in that country, a Saenuri official said Monday.
According to the official, the governing party’s committee handling matters related to overseas Koreans recently submitted its suggestions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Australian Embassy in Seoul. Rep. Won Yoo-chul chairs the committee.
“The proposals were made amid concerns about accidents facing participants, including being murdered as well as their difficulty in job-seeking,” said the official.
The committee said 70 percent of participants in the working holiday program were concentrated in Australia in 2012 among other countries the ministry has signed with, but the system is still lacking in many respects.
For example, according to the committee, participants can legally work only for six months in one workplace, although they can stay in the country for a year. Because of this, they have had to find another job in a short period of time.
Also, there have been many cases where participants did not receive minimum wages in the country, and some used the program for prostitution, which is legal in Australia, while illegal in Korea.
The proposal suggested that the system enable participants to work in one place for one full year, and business owners be obligated to report if they employ Koreans so that the Korean diplomatic office can be aware of it.
The ministry has signed on to working holiday programs with 17 countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and the U.K since 1995. Australia has been the most popular since it does not have a quota on the number of South Koreans.
The recent apparent murder incidents, however, highlighted fears among Koreans going to the country.
Ministry urged to revise Aussie working holiday program
By Jun Ji-hye
The ruling Saenuri Party suggested that the foreign ministry revise the working holiday visa program for Australia, following the recent deaths of two Koreans in that country, a Saenuri official said Monday.
According to the official, the governing party’s committee handling matters related to overseas Koreans recently submitted its suggestions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Australian Embassy in Seoul. Rep. Won Yoo-chul chairs the committee.
“The proposals were made amid concerns about accidents facing participants, including being murdered as well as their difficulty in job-seeking,” said the official.
The committee said 70 percent of participants in the working holiday program were concentrated in Australia in 2012 among other countries the ministry has signed with, but the system is still lacking in many respects.
For example, according to the committee, participants can legally work only for six months in one workplace, although they can stay in the country for a year. Because of this, they have had to find another job in a short period of time.
Also, there have been many cases where participants did not receive minimum wages in the country, and some used the program for prostitution, which is legal in Australia, while illegal in Korea.
The proposal suggested that the system enable participants to work in one place for one full year, and business owners be obligated to report if they employ Koreans so that the Korean diplomatic office can be aware of it.
The ministry has signed on to working holiday programs with 17 countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and the U.K since 1995. Australia has been the most popular since it does not have a quota on the number of South Koreans.
The recent apparent murder incidents, however, highlighted fears among Koreans going to the country.
