Gov't temporarily halts issuance of foreigners' employment permit

SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea temporarily halted issuing employment permits to foreign nationals hoping to work here as the recent number of newly employed foreigners exceeded a set quota, officials said Tuesday.

The freeze in permits will be in effect until February 2009, as the number of
foreign workers employed here from March has reached the set quota of 72,000, the
Ministry of Labor said. The ministry sets a new quota every year.
With the overall economy in a slump, officials said they are beginning to see an
increase in bankruptcies and suspensions of small businesses hiring overseas
workers, leading to delayed payments of salaries. Taking such circumstances into
account, the ministry said it plans to announce a new quota in February.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(EN