Seoul, March 18
Almost half of migrant workers in South Korea were employed in the mining and manufacturing industries last year, data showed on Tuesday.

Of the 1.56 million foreign residents here, 64.7 percent had jobs last year, while 31.4 percent were economically inactive and 3.9 percent were unemployed, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

Among the employed, 45.6 percent worked in the mining and manufacturing industries, while 18.9 percent worked in the wholesale, retail and restaurant businesses, reports Yonhap news agency.

Some 14 percent worked for private businesses or in the public service sector, 10.6 percent were in construction, and 8.3 percent were in the agriculture and fisheries businesses.

More than 51 percent of foreign workers received a monthly average wage of between 2 million won (US$1,382) and 3 million won, while 37.1 percent earned over 3 million won.

By visa type, 19.4 percent of the foreign residents were here with non-professional employment visas and 12.8 percent were on student visas. Some 9 percent were permanent residents, and 7.8 percent were married to Korean citizens.

Data also showed the average happiness level of the foreign residents was 4.3 points on a five-point scale.

About 17.4 percent of foreigners said they experienced discrimination in South Korea, with 27.7 percent of foreign students reporting such an experience.

Meanwhile, the government will help depopulation regions attract more foreign workers by expanding the eligibility for region-specific visas and easing their issuance requirements, the Ministry of Justice said.

The region-specific visas are currently restricted to 89 depopulation areas nationwide but the ministry will expand the number of eligible areas to 107 by including 18 areas in danger of depopulation.

The government will also create a region-specific skilled worker (E-7-4R) visa with a relaxed stay period and requirements, the ministry said.

The ministry said it plans to allow foreigners who stay in the country for more than two years with a non-professional employment (E-9) visa or a maritime crew (E-10) visa to convert to the E-7-4R visa if they meet the qualification requirements in areas such as skills.

Nearly half of foreign workers in S. Korea work in mining, manufacturing