The Ministry of Justice building at Government Complex Gwacheon / Yonhap
The Ministry of Justice said Monday that it will ease several immigration and residency requirements, part of a concerted effort to shore up a shrinking workforce and project the nation’s cultural influence further abroad.
A centerpiece of the plan is the relaxation of experience and language requirements for the D-4 Korean culinary trainee visa. This adjustment is specifically tailored for students enrolled in "Sura Academy" programs, an initiative overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to train international students in authentic Korean cuisine called "hansik." By lowering the barriers for aspiring chefs, officials hope to accelerate the globalization of Korean cuisine, transforming the country’s gastronomic tradition into a more accessible export.
The measures, approved during the third session of the Visa and Residency Policy Council, signal a strategic shift by the government to attract specific categories of foreign talent, ranging from remote-working "digital nomads" to specialized industrial artisans.
The council, chaired by Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho, reviewed a slate of 20 proposals submitted by six central ministries and two regional governments. Of those, eight were approved, reflecting a calibrated attempt to address the country’s deepening demographic and industrial shifts.
The reforms also target specific gaps in the nation’s economy, particularly the manufacturing sector. To combat a persistent labor shortage in the foundry industry, the ministry will launch a pilot program for the E-7-3 skilled worker visa. The program will include mold-making as a newly eligible occupation, with an initial annual quota of 150 workers.
Further south, Jeju Island is set to become a laboratory for the "workcation" trend. Foreigners entering the island visa-free will now be eligible to extend their stay from 30 to 90 days, provided they receive a recommendation from the Jeju governor. The move is intended to stimulate the local economy by catering to the growing global class of remote workers.
The ministry further streamlined paths for high-skilled professionals and students, waiving a one-year experience requirement for the E-7-1 professional visa for foreign science and engineering graduates who complete specialized training programs abroad. Additionally, it expanded D-4 eligibility for international schools in the Jeju English Education City and created a new gap-year pathway for high school graduates from OECD countries to explore university enrollment in Korea.
"We will listen closely to voices from the field, so that immigration and visa policy can respond to changes in industrial and demographic structure," the justice minister said.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
