KUALA LUMPUR - The Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority (BJFEZA) in South Korea will roll out an artificial intelligence-based interpretation programme next year to address language barriers among foreign workers and reduce industrial accidents at manufacturing sites.

Led by Commissioner Park Seongho, the authority announced on Sunday that it will fully implement the 2026 Industrial Accident Prevention AI Interpretation App Support Programme for Foreign Workers, targeting workplaces with high numbers of overseas employees.

The initiative is part of an “industrial accident zero” campaign aimed at improving communication between employers and foreign workers, particularly in safety training and daily work instructions, as reported by The Asia Business Daily. 

According to BJFEZA, the number of foreign workers in the zone has risen steadily in recent years. However, language difficulties have long been identified as a major risk factor for workplace accidents, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises that lack dedicated interpreters.

To address this, the authority plans to introduce an AI-powered interpretation application that will create an always-available multilingual communication environment at industrial sites.

The programme will run for one year from March 2026 to February 2027, and up to five tenant companies employing at least 20 foreign workers will be selected to participate.

Selected firms will receive access to an AI interpretation service that provides real-time multilingual translation, industry-specific terminology support, and one-to-many simultaneous conversation functions.

Each participating company will receive support worth about 4.4 million won. As the application can be installed on personal mobile phones without additional equipment, it is expected to be highly practical for on-site use.

Commissioner Park said the initiative would directly address safety risks linked to communication problems.

“This will help reduce the risk of industrial accidents caused by language barriers.

“We will continue to provide support to create a foreign worker-friendly industrial environment and to strengthen the safety management capabilities of tenant companies,” he said.

The authority believes the programme will improve workplace safety standards while supporting companies in managing an increasingly diverse workforce.