South Korea Probes Working Conditions for Uzbek Workers

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — South Korean authorities have begun reviewing the working conditions of Uzbek citizens employed in the shipbuilding industry following complaints over agreements that impose a US$2,000 penalty for each month of working for another employer without written consent from the Uzbek side, South Korean publication Pressian reported.

The workers are Uzbek citizens who arrived in South Korea on E-9 visas under a special employment programme for the shipbuilding industry. Before leaving Uzbekistan, they signed agreements with the Agency for External Labour Migration.

Under the agreements, workers cannot independently change employers. A written consent from the agency’s representative office in South Korea is required to change jobs. A penalty of US$2,000 is imposed for each month of working for another employer in violation of this condition. Penalties are also предусмотрены for illegal stay in the country and refusal to comply with lawful requirements from an employer.

The issue has become particularly acute among Uzbek workers at shipyards in Ulsan. According to workers, after leaving their jobs or being laid off, they were not always able to freely find new employment because of the risk of penalties.

The situation received additional attention following the death of a 26-year-old Uzbek citizen at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Ulsan. According to Pressian, the man died in a workplace accident on 18 July.

His colleagues told the publication that he had previously suffered injuries, was afraid to continue working at the shipyard and wanted to move to another company, but encountered difficulties in changing employers.

On 20 July, two days after the incident, Nurmatjon Komilov, head of the Agency for External Labour Migration’s representative office in South Korea, met with more than 100 Uzbek workers. They called for the agreements to be revised and reported cases in which, they said, penalties were imposed even after they had left subcontractors.

The agency said that changing employers is possible in certain circumstances. This includes cases where a company has suspended operations or is idle, as well as situations involving confirmed medical grounds. Workers must obtain the relevant written consent and provide supporting documents.

Agency representatives also said that such agreements were linked, among other things, to the problem of Uzbek citizens staying illegally in South Korea.

South Korean authorities have taken an interest in the situation. The Ministry of Employment and Labor of South Korea, together with the Embassy of Uzbekistan, has begun reviewing the conditions under which Uzbek migrants work. The ministry said the issue should also be examined from the perspective of international law.

South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family also said that such conditions could indicate possible signs of human trafficking.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, meanwhile, said it had not been involved in concluding the agreements with workers or setting the penalties. The company also did not confirm that its consent was required to release a worker from such obligations.

According to Pressian, Uzbek workers specially trained for the shipbuilding industry began arriving in South Korea in July 2025.

They received training in the Korean language and shipbuilding-related occupations at a training centre established in Ferghana region. By June 2026, about 380 people had arrived in South Korea under the programme.