At factories and farms, foreign workers are essential — in town, they're neighbors
Published: 05 Dec. 2025, 18:31
Updated: 05 Dec. 2025, 19:32
![Workers are seen harvesting radishes in a field in Dopo-myeon, Yeongam County, South Jeolla, on Dec. 4. [HWANG HEE-GYU]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/05/bd80153e-b190-4386-925e-4d1c58749247.jpg)
Workers are seen harvesting radishes in a field in Dopo-myeon, Yeongam County, South Jeolla, on Dec. 4. [HWANG HEE-GYU]
SOUTH JEOLLA — As foreign workers become essential to Korea’s farms and factories, rural towns like Yeongam County, South Jeolla, are seeing these laborers turn into key local consumers too — reshaping markets, menus and entire neighborhood economies.
In a radish field in Yeongam's Dopyo-myeon around 11 a.m. on Thursday morning, some 20 foreign workers were busy harvesting radishes. Under the direction of a Vietnamese crew leader, they pulled out the radishes, wrapped them in plastic and loaded them onto a truck.
Jo Gwang-ho, CEO of Nanum Agricultural Corporation, who was watching the workers, said, “It’s hard to find labor during the kimchi-making season, so I hired foreign workers who entered the country as part of the public seasonal employment program. Farming is impossible without them. They’re essential and deeply appreciated.”
That same afternoon, at a grocery store in the county's Samho-eup neighborhood, shelves were stocked with tropical vegetables not typically seen in supermarkets. Catering to foreign workers, the store carried Vietnamese coconuts, Thai tamarind and elephant mangoes.
In Yeongam, tropical vegetables are also readily found in traditional markets. At the five-day market in Sijong-myeon, vegetables such as chayote, okra and banana blossoms were for sale. The local NongHyup Hanaro Mart offered papayas, tamarind, Thai eggplant and other Southeast Asian ingredients.
“We always stock six or seven Southeast Asian ingredients to attract the growing number of foreign customers,” a NongHyup representative said.
![Workers and farmers are seen harvesting radishes in fields in Goryeong County, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 24. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/05/04a226dd-ce41-496a-bb6f-ce3bf1d11b4e.jpg)
Workers and farmers are seen harvesting radishes in fields in Goryeong County, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 24. [NEWS1]
Foreign workers supporting rural labor have become a pillar of the local economy. As their numbers grow each year, they’ve become not just a labor force but also important patrons of rural businesses.
As of November 2024, there were 2.58 million foreign residents in Korea, accounting for 5 percent of the total population of 51.8 million, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s “Status of Foreign Residents by Local Government” report. In Yeongam, 20.8 percent, or 12,569, of the 60,323 residents are foreign nationals.
In Yeongam, neighborhoods with one-room apartments are packed with grocery stores, restaurants, bars and billiard halls frequented by foreign workers. Samho-eup, home to the Daebul National Industrial Complex, bustles with foreign workers commuting by bicycle during rush hours.
Local restaurants have even started serving side dishes made with coriander, a herb unfamiliar to most Koreans but favored by many Southeast Asians.
![Groceries such as tamarind, elephant mango, dragon fruit, papaya and coconut are on display at a grocery store in Samho-myeon, Yeongam County, South Jeolla, on Dec. 4. [HWANG HEE-GYU]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/05/420998fc-2ce4-4cc8-b0cf-096cbce95f73.jpg)
Groceries such as tamarind, elephant mango, dragon fruit, papaya and coconut are on display at a grocery store in Samho-myeon, Yeongam County, South Jeolla, on Dec. 4. [HWANG HEE-GYU]
“My regular foreign customers sometimes bring ingredients and ask me to cook with them, so I keep coriander stocked,” said a street food vendor surnamed Kim.
In Geoje, South Gyeongsang, which has seen a surge in foreign workers due to the shipbuilding boom, more restaurants catering to them are popping up.
The number of foreign workers in Geoje rose from 5,861 in 2022 to 11,773 in 2023 and 14,969 in 2024. As of August, the figure reached 15,790, making up about 7 percent of the city’s population of 231,000.
“Recently, many new restaurants — Vietnamese, Uzbek and Russian — have sprung up near the shipyards,” said an official at the Geoje Foreign Worker Support Center.
At the Fresh Food Market near HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ dormitory in Dong District, Ulsan, foreign workers can buy Vietnamese rice, egg noodles, tropical fruits like jackfruit and canned coconut milk.
![Seasonal workers from Southeast Asia are seen waiting to leave the airport to board buses at a terminal in Incheon International Airport on May 27. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/05/ca6fa335-e403-4a42-b795-55a0fb29600d.jpg)
Seasonal workers from Southeast Asia are seen waiting to leave the airport to board buses at a terminal in Incheon International Airport on May 27. [NEWS1]
In Chuncheon, Gangwon, where many foreign workers live, they are increasingly seen as both neighbors and customers. This year, 509 foreign workers entered the area to help with farming.
“Foreigners don’t just work on farms; they’re also friendly with residents and often help older neighbors with difficult tasks,” said a local resident surnamed Kim, from Sabuk-myeon, Chuncheon.
“As the number of foreign workers in Korea increases, they help alleviate labor shortages and revitalize local economies,” said Park Chang-deok, head of the International Cooperation Division at the Korea Immigration Professional Association.
“To maximize long-term economic benefits, the government should strengthen the selection process in their home countries and manage and supervise their stays properly after entry to minimize worker attrition,” Park added.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI KYEONG-HO, PARK JIN-HO, LEE EUN-JI, HWANG HEE-GYU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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