송미령 농식품부 장관, 임실 외국인 계절근로자 운영 현장 점검

Minister of Agriculture and Food Song Mi-ryeong inspects the operation site of foreign seasonal workers in Imshil

The Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province announced that Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryeong visited Imsil on the 8th to inspect the living environment of foreign seasonal workers and listen to the voices of farms utilizing public seasonal labor, in preparation for the upcoming farming season.

This visit was arranged to assess the labor shortages in rural areas facing aging populations and declining populations, and to examine the support system for stable settlement and human rights protection of foreign seasonal workers (approximately 93,000 nationwide and around 13,000 in Jeonbuk), which is being introduced on the largest scale ever this year.

Minister Song first visited the 'Imsil County Foreign Agricultural Workers' Dormitory' completed in April, inspecting the facilities and interacting with Vietnamese workers employed there.

The dormitory, built by the province and Imsil County with an investment of 6.5 billion won to secure stable rural labor, is a modern facility with four floors that can accommodate up to 87 people, currently housing 40 Vietnamese female workers.

Minister Song then visited the Osugwanchon Agricultural Cooperative to observe the actual work sites of farms allocated public seasonal labor and listen to the difficulties faced by farmers and workers.

During the on-site meeting that day, the province suggested expanding the 'public seasonal labor business' and emphasized the need to establish a stable labor supply network through public dormitories and public seasonal labor projects to resolve agricultural labor issues.

The province is continuously strengthening the public seasonal labor business by directly employing foreign workers through cooperatives to supply labor to farms on a daily basis. The number of mediation centers has been increased from 14 to 18, and the number of allocated workers has been expanded from 540 to 837, supporting small-scale farmers who have difficulty providing accommodation or elderly farms in need of short-term labor.

Kim Shin-joong, head of the Jeonbuk Provincial Government's Agricultural and Livelihood Policy Department, stated, "We will create an environment where foreign workers can settle stably in rural Jeonbuk, and farmers can focus on farming without worrying about labor."

The event was attended by Minister Song Mi-ryeong, Lim Min, the Mayor of Imsil County, Kim Shin-joong, head of the Jeonbuk Provincial Government's Agricultural and Livelihood Policy Department, and Kim Sung-hoon, the head of the Jeonbuk branch of the Agricultural Cooperative Central Association, along with about ten others.

📝 Summary:
The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs visited Imsil to inspect the living conditions of foreign seasonal workers and understand the needs of farms utilizing public seasonal labor. This visit aimed to address labor shortages in rural areas due to aging populations and declining numbers, focusing on supporting foreign workers and stable settlement.

🗣️ Korean Translation:
농림축산식품부 장관인 송미령은 외국 계절근로자들의 생활 환경을 점검하고 공공 계절 노동을 활용하는 농장들의 의견을 듣기 위해 8일 임실을 방문했습니다. 이 방문은 노인 인구와 감소하는 인구로 인한 시골 지역의 노동 인력 부족을 평가하고, 올해 최대 규모로 소개되는 외국 계절근로자(전국 약 93,000명, 전북 약 13,000명)의 안정된 정착 및 인권 보호 지원 시스템을 검토하기 위해 마련되었습니다.

❓ Comprehension Questions:
1. Why did Minister Song visit Imsil?
왜 송 장관이 임실을 방문했나요?
2. What was the purpose of the visit to the 'Imsil County Foreign Agricultural Workers' Dormitory'?
'임실군 외국계 농업인 근로자 거주시설' 방문의 목적은 무엇이었나요?
3. How is the province addressing agricultural labor issues?
도는 농업 노동 문제에 어떻게 대응하고 있나요?

💡 Vocabulary Learning:
1. self-governing (자치)
- relating to a region or organization that governs itself independently
- 지역 또는 기관이 독립적으로 통치하는 것과 관련된
- The province has a self-governing system in place.
- 그 도는 자치 체제를 갖추고 있습니다.
2. settlement (정착)
- the act of establishing oneself in a new place to live or work
- 새로운 장소에 거주하거나 일하기 위해 자신을 정착시키는 행위
- They are working towards the settlement of foreign workers in the region.
- 그들은 그 지역의 외국인 노동자들의 정착을 위해 노력하고 있습니다.
3. mediation (조정)
- intervention in a dispute to bring about an agreement or reconciliation
- 합의나 화해를 이끌어내기 위해 분쟁에 개입하는 것
- The mediation centers aim to resolve conflicts peacefully.
- 조정 센터는 분쟁을 평화롭게 해결하기 위해 노력합니다.
4. allocation (할당)
- the action of distributing resources or duties for a particular purpose
- 특정 목적을 위해 자원이나 의무를 분배하는 행위
- The allocation of workers to different farms was carefully planned.
- 서로 다른 농장에 노동자들을 할당하는 것은 신중하게 계획되었습니다.
5. strengthen (강화하다)
- to make something stronger or more effective
- 무엇을 더 강하고 효과적으로 만드는 것
- Efforts are being made to strengthen the public seasonal labor business.
- 공공 계절 노동 사업을 강화하기 위해 노력이 진행 중입니다.