Korea to ease medical screening for foreign workers in food industry

Home > National > Social Affairs

print dictionary print

Korea to ease medical screening for foreign workers in food industry

Foreign laborers who entered Korea through Incheon International Airport wait for their buses in 2022. [YONHAP]

Foreign laborers who entered Korea through Incheon International Airport wait for their buses in 2022. [YONHAP]

 
The Korean government announced Thursday that it will ease medical examination requirements for foreign laborers set to work in food factories and eateries, helping them join the workforce more swiftly.
 
The Office for Government Policy Coordination said that foreign workers whose jobs are related to food hygiene will be able to undergo health screening tests using only their passports.
 
Under the current scheme, foreign food worker candidates must wait approximately three to four weeks for the Ministry of Justice to issue a residence card, a legal identification for foreigners staying in Korea for over 90 days.
 

Related Article

 
According to the Food Sanitation Act, operators and employees in food manufacturing, storage businesses or workers handling food and food additives are required to undergo medical checkups at district health offices before beginning work in the industry. The exam screens for typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever and pulmonary tuberculosis.  
 
Additionally, foreign food worker candidates will be allowed to undergo health screening during three days of occupational training provided by the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, within 15 days of entering the country.
 
The Policy Coordination Office believes that the new measure will expedite the hiring process and help foreign laborers join the workforce more quickly in the short-handed food industry. The office also said that it could reduce the wage burden on business owners, as the Ministry of Employment and Labor considers labor to have started once workers begin vocational training.
 
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will pilot the scheme after the Proactive Administration Committee reviews the policy in December. Legal provisions governing health requirements for food workers are expected to be amended by the first half of next year. The initiative will be jointly carried out with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Labor Ministry.  

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]
Log in to Twitter or Facebook account to connect
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
help-image Social comment?
s
lock icon

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)