Agency hosts labor attachés from 11 countries at Seoul forum
Foreign workers in Korea surpass 1.1 million; industrial accident approvals on the rise
Tailored support expanded with video guides in 24 languages, written materials in 17
![The Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service hosts labor attachés from 11 foreign embassies in Seoul on Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen industrial accident compensation support for migrant workers. [Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/04/news-p.v1.20260604.a80600ef6b0e4a87af56fa69c4e86331_P1.jpg)
The Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service is partnering with foreign embassies in Seoul to strengthen industrial accident compensation and rights protection for migrant workers. With the number of foreign workers in Korea surpassing 1.1 million and industrial accident approvals rising consistently, the agency is expanding its cooperative framework to close gaps caused by language barriers and lack of information.
The agency said Thursday it held a forum in Seoul, inviting labor attachés from 11 foreign embassies to discuss ways to enhance industrial accident protection and support for migrant workers.
About 30 people attended the forum, including labor attachés from 11 countries — among them Indonesia and Thailand — and Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service President Park Jong-gil. Participants discussed ways to improve access to industrial accident insurance and ensure meaningful compensation support, aiming to reduce cases in which injured migrant workers and their families fail to receive adequate assistance due to language barriers or lack of information.
According to the Ministry of Statistics, the number of foreign workers employed in Korea reached 1.109 million as of May last year, up 9.8 percent from the previous year. Approved workplace injury claims involving migrant workers have also grown, rising from 7,778 in 2020 to 10,215 last year, underscoring the growing need for stronger protections.
The agency currently provides educational videos in 24 languages and written guides in 17 languages so migrant workers can access industrial accident insurance services without language barriers. It is also expanding tailored support, including a 13-language counseling service through a government chatbot and a dedicated Vietnamese-language counseling service.
Beyond industrial accident insurance, the agency is working to improve access for migrant workers — on equal terms — to a range of labor welfare programs, including wage arrears advance payments, public workplace childcare centers and resort facility support for low-income workers.
The agency has also stepped up support for the bereaved families of migrant workers killed in industrial accidents. When the family of a Vietnamese migrant worker who died in an accident at a workplace in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, in March visited Korea, the agency provided end-to-end assistance — from airport reception and interpretation to administrative guidance and departure support.
The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency also attended Thursday's forum and introduced its accident prevention programs for migrant workers. Participants agreed that coordinating accident prevention and compensation more closely produces stronger protections for migrant workers, and pledged to expand cooperation among relevant agencies.
"Migrant workers are valued members of our industrial workforce, and there can be no discrimination by nationality when it comes to accidents and hazards on the job," said Park Jong-gil, president of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service. "We will build a tight-knit industrial accident compensation safety net that leaves no one behind — caring not only for compensation itself, but also for the grief of families who have lost loved ones to workplace accidents."
fact0514@heraldcorp.com
