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Labor Ministry rejects Seoul city's visa request for foreign bus drivers

Published: 01 Dec. 2024, 16:43

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

Passengers walk on a bus platform in central Seoul on Nov. 20. [NEWS1]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor decided to turn down a request from the Seoul city government to offer E-9 visas to foreign bus drivers, according to the Labor Ministry on Sunday.

The rejection came a month after the Seoul Metropolitan Government sought approval to expand E-9 visa eligibility to the transportation sector to tackle manpower shortages. E-9 visas are available to non-professional employees in manufacturing, shipbuilding, construction, customer services and agriculture.

Regarding the rejection, the ministry reportedly cited license requirements, driving experiences, differences in foreign traffic systems and language barriers.

“It is difficult to issue E-9 visas — in which labor contracts are finalized before entry to Korea — to foreign drivers because those who obtained their driver's licenses for large vehicles usually practice driving for a year to be qualified as bus drivers," a Labor Ministry official said.

The issuance of E-9 visas would likely result in a situation where the government has to acknowledge foreign driver’s licenses from their homelands as equivalent to the ones issued by Korean authorities.

The enforcement decree of the Immigration Act excludes jobs that require special licenses or previous work experiences from issuing E-9 visas.

“Bus drivers should have competent communication skills and crisis-management capabilities as their duties are directly related to public safety,” the official said, adding that “drivers have to face and deal with passengers every time.”

The official said greenlighting the city government’s request would be “difficult at this time,” noting the matter should be reviewed as a long-term assignment.

The Labor Ministry is expected to officially document its stance next week and forward it to the Office for Government Policy Coordination, which initially received the city’s request and asked for the Labor Ministry’s instruction.

Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo has voiced his skepticism toward the city government’s proposal.

“Community bus drivers are not simple workers as they are required to have a significant level of language proficiency and two licenses — driver’s license for large vehicle and bus driver’s license,” during his recent media interviews.

The Korean Automobile and Transport Workers’ Federation objected to the city’s idea, attributing the current labor shortage to low wages and high labor intensity. The union demanded measures to improve their working conditions to fix the problem rather than relying on a foreign work force.

On Sunday, the Seoul city government responded to the ministry's judgment by declaring it would follow the central government's decisions.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]