Latest news with #E-9
Korea Herald
17-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Anti-corruption watchdog engages foreign business leaders to boost investment climate
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission of Korea held a policy roundtable on Thursday aimed at creating a more favorable environment for foreign investment and business operations in Korea. Chaired by Ryu Chul-whan, the commission has hosted 15 such roundtable events since 2008 with executives from foreign chambers of commerce in Korea. The sessions serve as a platform to hear directly from foreign companies about the challenges they face and to share the Korean government's latest anti-corruption initiatives. 'With increasing global uncertainties, including recent tariff measures by the Trump administration, we remain committed to fostering a transparent and fair society where foreign investment and international trade can thrive,' Ryu said during the meeting at the Government Complex Seoul. Thursday's roundtable was attended by James Kim, chair and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Maria Antonia von Schoenburg, chair of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Stefan Ernst, secretary-general of the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Rowan Petz, chair of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Sonia Chaieb, head of the French Chamber of Commerce in Korea, and Roger Royo, chair of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Korea, among 15 other executives from foreign chambers. At the session, the foreign chambers agreed on the importance of transparency, communication and regulatory alignment as Korea positions itself as a leading global business hub in the region. The government pledged continued dialogue and follow-up actions on key suggestions raised during the roundtable. Representing the Australian Chamber, Rowan Petz focused on the E-9 employment visa system, particularly its limitations in the hospitality sector. 'Hotels cannot interview candidates directly, and only certain nationalities are eligible. This does not reflect the reality of a service-based industry that relies heavily on communication and cultural fit.' He urged that the visa system be revised to better suit the operational needs of the hospitality industry. In response, ACRC Chair Ryu said the government would coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Justice to explore improvements. AmCham Chair James Kim emphasized the broader context, noting that Korea is not alone in facing uncertainty, referencing global political developments. 'Although there are uncertainties, I'm a big believer we'll all be back to normalized business soon.' He referenced a recent business report published by AmCham, which noted that Korea is in a much better position to host regional headquarters. He highlighted that while Korea remains the second most attractive HQ destination after Singapore, sentiment is shifting, with 50 percent of respondents viewing the environment negatively, up from 25 percent previously, citing that their internal survey showed that the government's influence on business perception grew from 36 percent to 57 percent in just one year. 'We shouldn't be losing out to Singapore, Hong Kong or Shanghai. ... And still, there's huge optimism. The upcoming election and APEC 2025 can both be launchpads for Korea's next five years,' Kim added. ddd@
South China Morning Post
17-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
South Korea's new visa to resolve labour shortage faces backlash
A visa system introduced this month to address labour shortages in regions outside Seoul is facing strong backlash, with concerns that the influx of migrant workers could threaten jobs for Korean citizens. Advertisement A petition calling for the abolition of the E-7-4R visa garnered more than 72,700 signatures as of Thursday after being posted on the National Assembly's petition site on March 20. The request is currently under parliamentary review, as required for all petitions that collect 50,000 signatures or more. Also known as the region-specific skilled worker visa, E-7-4R is designed for foreign nationals who have been working in government-designated regions where the issue of falling populations is particularly serious, according to the Ministry of Justice. If E-9 and E-10 visa holders stay in one of the designated areas for at least two years and meet certain skill requirements, they will become eligible to change their visas to E-7-4R, which would allow for a longer stay, the possibility of inviting family members and potentially an easier path to permanent residency. South Korean dealers work at Hana Bank in Seoul. Photo: EPA-EFE The petitioner, surnamed Nam, urged ministry officials to reconsider the policy, saying it could worsen the job situation for many struggling citizens, especially young ones. 'Improving the treatment of Korean citizens and creating stable jobs for them should be a priority before bringing in more foreign labour,' he said. Advertisement 'The E74R visa would greatly expand the influx of foreign workers into the country. This is likely to result in job losses for many already struggling Korean workers, particularly in small and medium-sized businesses and in the manufacturing and service industries, where increased competition could lead to job losses and lower wages.'
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Local Air Force veteran volunteers, gives back to Youngstown VA
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)- Every Tuesday in March we're introducing you to a remarkable woman from right here in the Valley. For Lori Stone, it all comes back to family, her own children and grandchildren, the family she made through her military service, and her volunteer family. Lori Stone's military journey started in 1965. She enlisted after graduating from Austintown Fitch. That was my dream. and back then you might not have known but women were only 2% of the force enlisted,' Stone said. She completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, and was stationed in the Philipines during the Vietnam War before returning to Texas, and then back to Ohio. She retired in 2006 after 33 years of service. 'Back when I started in '65 they never dreamed a woman would go above E-7. So retiring as a chief as an E-9 I kind of went in at 2% and I left at 2% because they had control on how many could be E-9s at that time in the Air Force.' A year after retiring, she was looking for more to do. 'I happened to run into a friend of mine and she goes, why not check into volunteering at the VA?' It started with a few days a week at the Youngstown VA Clinic, then became even more involved when she became the volunteer liaison in 2013. 'You know what the key thing is about the volunteers, they're not doing it for money, but from the heart,' she said. At the VA, she started a fundraising campaign to get a new van to transport veterans. She helped expand the Youngstown VA's food pantry. 'The food pantry working like it is, it seems like that has helped so many more people than anticipated,' she said. She has received several awards. including the 2018 Veteran of the Year by the United Veterans Council of Youngstown. In 2019, she was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. 'When they put my name in, I said 'ok, sure,' I never dreamed I was going to get it,' Stone said. With all her honors, Stone's greatest accomplishment is her family. 'I wouldn't be anyplace without Denise and Tammy, my two daughters, and my mother. those three ladies believed in me,' Stone said. She volunteers every day with her other family. It's the friendship, the other volunteers, the staff, I miss them, they're part of the family,' Stone said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Korea Herald
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Justice Ministry denies rumors about visa-free entry for Chinese
The Ministry of Justice on Wednesday denied a recent online rumor that a revision of the skilled worker visa system will permit a mass influx of Chinese nationals on a visa-free basis. The rumor is tangentially related to the September 2023 revision of the country's E-7-4 visa issued to skilled foreign workers, a key provision of which is an increase of the yearly quota for holders of such visas from 2,000 to 35,000. The online rumor claimed that large-scale visa-free entry of Chinese nationals is slated to begin in April, posting information about the E-7-4 visa, which is unrelated to visa-free entry. Those who spread the false information said the supposed visa-free entry would lead to an exponential increase in Chinese residents here, and urged others to make complaints by posting the office phone numbers of Justice Ministry officials. "The E-7-4 visa is usually issued to foreign workers holding E-9 visas (non-professional employment visa) who have lived here for at least four years and have a certain level of Korean language skills. The expansion of the quota from 2,000 to 35,000 is not related to visa-free entry, nor is it restricted to people from a certain country," the ministry said in a press release. It added that of the 31,869 holders of the E-7-4 visa as of February, only 78 are Chinese nationals. To transfer from E-9 to E-7-4, an applicant must demonstrate considerable skills in their field, obtain a recommendation from an employer for whom they worked at least one year, and must not have a record of tax evasion or criminal activity resulting in a fine of 1 million won ($685) or more. After getting the E-7-4, the visa holder must work for at least two years at the company from which they received the recommendation. The policy is intended to enable foreign nationals to work here for a longer period of time, the ministry said. Visa-free entry to South Korea is permitted to holders of passports from 112 jurisdictions who have been issued the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization or K-ETA. Mainland China is not one of these jurisdictions. Chinese nationals from the mainland can stay here temporarily without a visa if they qualify for the tourist/transit B-2 status, which is for transit stopovers. Concern has been growing over the spread of anti-China sentiment and malicious rumors in Korea. A far-right online platform recently claimed that 99 Chinese spies have been caught by the South Korean and US militaries for rigging elections here, which United States Forces Korea said was entirely false. A 42-year-old man dressed up as the Marvel Comics character Captain America was caught last month trying to break into the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, making terror threats against the compound. Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing voiced his concern over the "destructive" anti-China faction, which has been fueling election interference claims and leading protests. In a meeting with local reporters last month, he said their actions could seriously harm relations between the two countries.
Korea Herald
20-03-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
E-9 visa holders in Korea pass 300,000 amid rising wages
Foreign worker wages in South Korea are rising, with more than twice as many earning over 3 million won per month compared to 2020 More than 300,000 foreign nationals in South Korea now hold a non-professional employment (E-9) visa, surpassing the 300,000 mark for the first time. Meanwhile, nearly four in ten foreign wage earners — 37.1 percent — receive a monthly salary of at least 3 million won (about $2,060), according to the latest findings from Statistics Korea. In comparison, Korean wage earners' average monthly income stood at 3.63 million won in 2023. On Tuesday, Statistics Korea released detailed results from its 2024 Survey on the Status of Residence and Employment of Immigrants. The main survey was conducted jointly with the Ministry of Justice and published in December 2024 to inform policy on employment, residence management and the social integration of immigrants in Korea. Among 1.561 million foreign nationals residing in the country, 303,000 held an E-9 visa in 2024. The visa was introduced specifically to address labor shortages in manufacturing, agriculture, fisheries and certain service sectors. Of the E-9 holders, 99.7 percent (302,000 individuals) were employed. By industry, manufacturing and service comprised the largest share (80.5 percent), followed by agriculture/forestry/fisheries (14.4 percent) and construction (3.0 percent). Across all visa categories, 51.2 percent of foreign wage earners received monthly pay of 2 million to 3 million won, and 37.1 percent earned 3 million won or more — a notable jump from 16.4 percent in 2020. By visa or residency status, the proportion earning 3 million won or above was highest for permanent residents (55.2 percent), followed by professional workers (46.5 percent), overseas Koreans (46.1 percent) and visiting workers (41.8 percent). Within the non-professional E-9 category alone, that figure stood at 28.0 percent. The data also showed a pronounced difference in the visa distribution between men and women. Men held 90.9 percent of E-9 visas, followed by 71.8 percent of professional visas and 57.3 percent of visiting employment visas. By contrast, 79.6 percent of marriage visa holders and 53.3 percent of international student visa holders were women. By nationality, those who identified as Korean Chinese made up the largest group of visa holders (31.6 percent), followed by Vietnamese nationals (15.0 percent), resulting in an overall Asian majority of 91.0 percent among foreign residents. Geographically, 59.0 percent of all foreigners reside in the Seoul metropolitan area, with the rate even higher among certain categories such as visiting workers (80.3 percent), permanent residents (77.0 percent) and overseas Koreans (76.9 percent).
