UZBEKISTAN AND SOUTH KOREA DEEPEN THEIR LABOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 000825 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, EAP, EB, PRM, DRL/IL, G/TIP LABOR FOR ILAB E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2016 TAGS: ELAB SMIG ECON EFIN SOCI PGOV KS UZ SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN AND SOUTH KOREA DEEPEN THEIR LABOR RELATIONS REF: A. A) TASHKENT 699 ¶B. B) TASHKENT 633 ¶C. C) 05 TASHKENT 3385 ¶D. D) 05 TASHKENT 3253 Classified By: AMB. JON R. PURNELL, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Uzbekistan and South Korea are taking steps to strengthen their labor relations. Sources at the Uzbek Ministry of Labor and South Korean Embassy told Poloff that their governments have agreed to facilitate labor contracts for Uzbek guest workers. Uzbekistan will reportedly become one of only a half dozen countries to benefit from the South Korean "Employment Permit System." As a condition, the GOU reportedly pledged to strengthen its fight against illegal labor and migration to South Korea. A Ministry of Labor source claims that the number of Uzbeks working illegally in South Korea has dropped since last year as a result of intensified Uzbek-South Korean governmental cooperation. The GOU is considering opening Ministry of Labor Agency for Foreign Labor Migration Affairs branch offices in South Korea, and a new position at the Uzbek Embassy in Seoul to handle labor affairs. End summary. ¶2. (C) An official at the Ministry of Labor's Agency for Foreign Labor Migration Affairs (AFLMA) told Poloff that President Karimov signed an agreement to deepen bilateral labor relations during his March 28-30 visit to South Korea. However, a South Korean Embassy consular officer told Poloff that the governments had so far only committed to signing a MOU on labor relations this summer. During his visit, President Karimov also signed a Declaration on Strategic Partnership, and agreements for South Korean firms to explore and develop Uzbek oil, gas, and mineral reserves (refs A, B). Uzbekistan will reportedly become one of only six countries eligible for the South Korean "Employment Permit System" (EPS). (Note: The others reportedly include Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Mongolia. End note.) Both Deputy Labor Minister Anvar Akbarov and the new AFLMA head, Gafur Usmanov, accompanied President Karimov on the visit. Uzbek laborers currently work in South Korea under the "Industrial Training" program, which will be phased out by January 2007. ¶3. (C) According to the Ministry of Labor official, one of the admission requirements for EPS was a GOU pledge to fight illegal migration to South Korea. According to our contact, the number of Uzbeks working illegally in South Korea has dropped from roughly 5,000 to 2,000 over the past year as a result of close intergovernmental cooperation in deporting illegal workers (ref C). According to both Ministry of Labor and South Korean Embassy sources, there are around 10,000 Uzbeks working officially in South Korea (ref D). The Ministry of Labor has three partner organizations in South Korea to protect workers and fight against illegal labor: AFLMA-Korea, TRAEBU (Tashkent Region Abroad Employment Bureau)-Korea, and TRAEBU-World. Most of their employees are Russian-speaking Koreans. ¶4. (C) Our Ministry contact said that the AFLMA is considering opening representative offices in South Korea as early as this summer. Our contact was offered a job at one of the offices, if she learns Korean. (Note: The Ministry of Labor's Center for Pre-Dispatch Adaptation provides Korean language and culture training to workers going to South Korea. End note.) Our contact added that the GOU is also considering creating a new position at the Uzbek Embassy in Seoul to handle labor affairs. ¶5. (C) The Ministry of Labor source told us that a South Korean Ministry of Labor delegation will visit Uzbekistan in May to investigate the possibility of opening South Korean Ministry of Labor regional branch offices in Uzbekistan. The delegation will also interview and assess job applicants. (Note: In order to be eligible for guest worker programs TASHKENT 00000825 002 OF 002 applicants must be 18-39 years told, in good physical shape, know basic Korean, and lack a criminal record. End note.) Workers are given free accommodation and meals, and earn an average of $1000 per month, most of which is remitted back to Uzbekistan. ¶6. (C) Comment: Jobs in South Korea are highly regarded, and provide a higher level of social protection than in Russia or Kazakhstan, where the vast majority of Uzbeks work illegally. Many Uzbek citizens working in Korea hail from the nearly 200,000 strong ethnic Korean community here. As long as the Uzbek economy continues to decline and jobs become more and more scarce, the number of people looking to work abroad will continue to grow. End comment. PURNELL