South Korea has suspended the intake of seasonal agricultural and fishery workers from four northeastern Thai provinces for 2026 after several workers reportedly left their assigned employers.
Thailand’s Ministry of Labour confirmed the matter on Tuesday after the issue had been widely shared on social media, according to the Anti-Fake News Center Thailand Facebook page.
The Department of Employment said the affected workers had travelled to South Korea under a memorandum of understanding covering seasonal agricultural and fishery jobs through the E-8 visa programme.
They were reportedly from Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, and Maha Sarakham.
Following the incidents, South Korean authorities placed the workers involved on a blacklist and halted the recruitment of seasonal workers from the four provinces for the entire 2026 calendar year, from January 1 to December 31.
Labour Minister Julapun Amornvivat, meanwhile, used a pre-departure training session on Tuesday to encourage Thai workers preparing to take up jobs overseas, saying foreign employment remained an important pathway for earning income and gaining professional experience.
Speaking at the Bangkok Social Security Office Area 3, Mr Julapun addressed workers bound for South Korea, Taiwan, Israel, and Japan. Drug screening tests were also carried out as part of the pre-departure process.
He said the Labour Ministry continued to prioritise overseas employment because it helped generate income for workers, support remittances to Thailand, and strengthen the country’s workforce through skills and experience gained abroad.
Mr Julapun added that working overseas allowed Thai nationals to learn about new technologies, cultures, and ways of life, which could later be used to improve their careers and living standards after returning home.
Many Thais who had worked abroad had later used their experience to start businesses and build stable livelihoods in Thailand, he said.
A total of 597 Thai workers took part in the training session, including 220 scheduled to travel to South Korea and 377 others heading to various countries through recruitment agencies.
