Swindlers pounce on failed Korean job seekers
Rasika SOMARATHNA
Korean job seekers who failed the language proficiency test are being
targeted by swindlers on the pretext of finding them jobs in South Korea
despite their failure in the exam, a Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign
Employment (SLBFE) spokesman said yesterday.
The spokesman said a suspect was arrested by its sleuths after a
complaint was lodged by two youths that they had paid Rs 95,000 to the
suspect after he promised to find jobs in South Korea despite their
failure in the recent Korean language test.
He said the SLBFE was investigating similar complaints and warned
Korean job seekers not to fall prey to fraudsters.
“Only those who pass the language proficiency test are eligible for
jobs in Korea via the Employment Permit System (EPS) agreed upon by the
two governments,” the spokesman said.
He said there was no third party involved in providing Korean jobs
under the EPS system and the sole authority was vested with the SLBFE
and the Korean Human Resources Department.
A total of 4,391 candidates were selected out of the 31,271 who sat
the 10th Korean Language Proficiency test held last October.
The bulk, 3,901, was selected for industrial sector jobs and 490 in
the fisheries sector. The test was jointly organised by the SLBFE and
the Korean Human Resources Development Authority with the help of the
Examinations Department of Sri Lanka.
The number of Sri Lankan’s migrating for jobs in South Korea
increased considerably in recent times. Last year, 5,346 persons
migrated to Korea for employment. The figure is expected to exceed 9,000
this year.
Meanwhile, it was recently announced that Sri Lanka has become the
top labour exporting to the South Korean job market.
Korean authorities say Sri Lanka’s top ranking status was due to the
efficiency and the enterprise of Lankan workers and transparency of the
authorities.
Over 25,000 Sri Lankans work in South Korea with an annual outflow of
around 5,000. |
