A joint inspection of local companies will be conducted in Seoul in regards to hiring foreign artists in South Korea. The inspection will be conducted by the ministries of gender equality, justice and labor in order to control an increasing number of prostitution, as well as salary exploitation cases which were reported in the last couple of years.
The country’s officials said that this measure needs to be taken after foreign embassies and civic groups raised concerns that some women who are E-6 visa holders were forced into prostitution and trafficked by businesses which hired them to be performers. A person who holds the E-6 visa refers to foreign national entering South Korea to participate in cultural and artistic performances.
Foreigners who are issued with the visa can earn profits for their professional activities. Cho Youn-sun, the Gender Equality Minister said that the government of South Korea will work on increasing the protection of female foreign workers and their human rights in the country. The minister went on to say that he will join with the relevant ministries and will draft new measures which will rescue and help the victims to safely go back to their home countries.
Figures revealed that the country had a total of 4,879 foreign nationals on the E-6 visa from July 2013. About 85 percent of them carry the E-6-2 visa, which enables them to work in hotels, as well as entertainment business.
Photo Credits: Migrant OK
