The country's immigration service announced the decision last week, according to Vietnam's Center for Overseas Labor.

People with labor contracts expiring between December 1, 2020, and January 31 this year will have their residence permit automatically extended for 50 days.

Workers can visit Hikorea.go.kr website to make sure that their permits were extended and should let the Immigration Department know about their cases if needed, the department said.

South Korea has been extending residence permits as foreign workers wait for their flights. It has also been allowing them to switch to C-4 visas for seasonal workers allowing them to earn a living and filling the labor shortage caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Between August 24 and December 31 foreigners were allowed to register to work for 30, 60 or 90 days in industries such as agriculture and aquaculture.

There were 34,600 Vietnamese workers in South Korea under the EPS program in the first half of 2020, according to the Center for Overseas Labor.

Many workers are stranded in South Korea due to Covid-19, which has infected nearly 65,000 people in the nation and caused 1,007 deaths.