20% absconding rate prompts South Korea to pause intake as both sides seek fixes

South Korea’s decision to suspend the intake of E-8 seasonal agricultural and fisheries workers from four Thai provinces — Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum and Maha Sarakham — for one year was triggered by an absconding rate that reached 20%.

The case has drawn attention not only because of illegal labour concerns, but also because of its wider implications for the image of Thai workers, labour cooperation between Thailand and South Korea, and structural income pressures within the Thai economy.

However, the Thai Embassy in Seoul stressed that the measure affects only seasonal agricultural and fisheries workers under the E-8 system. It does not apply to all Thai workers in South Korea.

Thai Ambassador to Seoul Tanee Sangrat told Thansettakij that about 161,584 Thai nationals are currently in South Korea. Of these, around 49,866 are legal residents, most of them working under the E-9 labour system or the E-7 skilled worker category.

In contrast, the number of undocumented Thai nationals is estimated at around 111,718, a figure that has continued to fall from a previous peak of nearly 200,000.

Why four provinces were suspended

Tanee said the E-8 seasonal worker programme is a cooperation scheme between Thailand’s Department of Employment and local authorities in South Korea. It began in 2024, selecting workers from certain Thai provinces for seasonal jobs in agriculture and fisheries in designated areas of South Korea.

In 2024, workers from Chaiyaphum and Maha Sarakham were sent to Wando County in South Jeolla Province. Workers from Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Songkhla, Satun and Buri Ram were also sent to other parts of South Korea under memorandums of understanding between local agencies in the two countries.

However, in 2025, South Korean authorities found that some Thai workers had left their employers after arriving in the country. The issue was particularly linked to workers from Chaiyaphum, Maha Sarakham, Udon Thani and Khon Kaen.

South Korea’s immigration authorities later assessed that workers from those areas had an absconding rate of up to 20%, leading to the one-year suspension from January 1 to December 31, 2026.

Tanee said that, in actual numbers, the number of workers who had fled their employers was not especially high. However, the embassy was concerned because the E-8 route was one of the channels Thailand had hoped to develop for future seasonal labour exports.

“In fact, the number is not large, but we are quite concerned because we hoped this would become another channel for Thai seasonal workers,” he said.

Korean employers’ readiness also a factor

Tanee said the Thai embassy had discussed the problem with South Korea’s immigration office and had also raised issues linked to Korean employers.

Some Thai workers arrived in South Korea but were unable to start work immediately because employers had not yet prepared farmland, tools, seeds or fertiliser. As a result, workers were forced to wait several days without income, despite many having borrowed money to pay for their travel.

This created financial pressure, while some workers were later persuaded to leave for other work sites where higher wages were offered.

“When they arrive and cannot start work immediately, they become stressed because they have borrowed money. When someone invites them to another work site and says the wages are better, some decide to run away,” Tanee said.

The Thai embassy has also asked South Korea to provide advance notice of any new measures, as Thailand’s worker selection process takes several months. This includes recruitment announcements, health checks and Korean-language training. Sudden suspensions can therefore disrupt the entire process.

The embassy has also discussed several other issues with South Korean immigration officials, including improvements to the Korea Electronic Travel Authorisation system, labour rights protection for Thai workers, increased quotas for Thai workers, support for E-9 workers to change status to the E-7-4 visa, and the establishment of a joint consultation mechanism to meet at least twice a year.

Undocumented Thai worker numbers continue to fall

Although undocumented Thai workers, often referred to in Thai as “Phi Noi” or “little ghosts”, remain a sensitive issue in South Korea, Tanee said the overall image of Thai workers remained positive.

He noted that the number of undocumented Thai nationals had continued to decline due to several measures, including voluntary return programmes, stricter enforcement by South Korean authorities, and a legal pathway allowing skilled and well-behaved E-9 workers to shift to the E-7-4 visa for longer-term employment.

Tanee said many Thai workers, especially in industrial sectors, shipyards and manufacturing plants, were valued by Korean employers for their discipline, ability to learn and sense of responsibility.

“The image of Thai workers has not worsened. Most Thais are easy to train, communicate well and work well with Korean employers because both sides depend on each other,” he said.

However, the ambassador acknowledged that Thai workers in South Korea still face labour rights problems, including physical assault, workplace accidents and inadequate safety measures in some workplaces. The embassy has been pressing South Korea to strengthen protection for foreign workers.

Income gap drives illegal work risks

Assoc Prof Kiriya Kulkolkarn, a lecturer at Thammasat University’s Faculty of Economics, said the problem of Thai workers leaving employers in South Korea reflects deeper structural issues in the Thai economy, particularly the large income gap between the two countries.

She noted that agricultural workers in Thailand may earn only about 10,000 baht a month, while workers in South Korea can earn between 50,000 and 100,000 baht a month when overtime is included.

This income difference has encouraged some workers to take the risk of working illegally in pursuit of higher pay.

The Thai government and the Thai embassy in Seoul are continuing talks with South Korean authorities to preserve long-term labour cooperation, push for higher Thai worker quotas, expand employment opportunities and strengthen protection for Thai workers in South Korea.