More than 1,400 Vietnamese guest workers in the Republic of Korea (RoK) are set to lose their deposit of VND100 million (US$4,239) each due to fleeing from their workplace or attempting to illegally stay in the country.

Vietnamese workers registering for working in the Republic of Korea.

 The Department of Overseas Labour under Vietnam's Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, after September 21, will unilaterally liquidate the contracts of the workers and notify the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) to process the deposit of employees.

 The agency said that based on the notice of the Korean Human Resources Development Agency about the results of the employees' compliance with the labour contract in the RoK under the Employment Permit System (EPS) programme and checking of the employees' deposit at VBSP, there were 1,750 Vietnamese guest workers staying illegally in the RoK after terminating the employment contract or fleeing from their workplace.

 The agency, on June 26, sent letters to departments of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in Vietnam's cities and provinces where the employees registered their permanent residence before going to work in the RoK to coordinate with local authorities to verify the employees' labour contract performance.

 The list of the employees was also posted on the agency’s website.

 To date, it is more than 40 working days from the date of notification and based on the verification results of the labour departments in provinces and cities, the agency decided to process the bank deposits of 1,476 guest workers in the Republic of Korea.

 After the deadline of September 21, the agency will process the employee's deposit.

 In April this year, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved a pilot scheme which requires domestic workers to make deposits before departing to work in the RoK.

 Under the decision, Vietnamese guest workers heading to work in the RoK under the EPS programme were required to make a pre-departure deposit worth VND100 million (US$4,239) to guarantee their return to Vietnam after their contract expires.

 The new policy was part of measures to prevent Vietnamese migrant workers from overstaying their contracts in the RoK.

 The workers must pay the deposit at the VBSP within 35 days of signing a contract for employment in the RoK.

 The deposit will be refunded to the workers upon the end of the contract.

 The workers will lose the deposit if they flee from their workplace or try to illegally stay in the RoK after their contracts end or their duration of stay is expired.