KUALA LUMPUR - South Korea is moving to introduce higher wage thresholds for many foreign workers by embedding reasonable pay requirements into visa and stay conditions.

The measure is part of a broader effort to regulate migrant labour and safeguard domestic wage levels.

Responding to queries from The Korea Times, the Ministry of Justice said the policy is intended to prevent wage suppression among Korean workers.

“The purpose of setting wage requirements for foreign workers, as in countries such as the United States and Britain, is to prevent declines in Korean workers’ wages and guard against violations of their working conditions,” a ministry official said.

Under the 2030 Immigration Policy Future Strategy, wage thresholds will be incorporated into immigration rules.

Employers will be required to meet or exceed these levels to hire or retain foreign workers under visa categories such as E-7-1 and E-7-3.

The move follows concerns raised by President Lee Jae Myung over reliance on low-paid migrant labour.

During a January meeting with shipbuilding industry representatives in Ulsan, he questioned whether such a growth model benefits regional economies.

He described it as “odd” that South Korea maintains global competitiveness while relying on foreign workers paid close to the minimum wage.

He also asked what impact this has on local economies when much of the workers’ earnings are remitted abroad.

In February, Lee ordered a review of the wide-area shipbuilding visa system.

The directive signalled potential reforms to a framework long used to address labour shortages through foreign hiring.

Under the new plan, an advisory committee chaired by Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho will recommend annual wage thresholds based on industry and visa category.

These thresholds will be formalised as conditions for issuing and renewing work and residence permits.

This means employers must comply with the revised wage requirements to continue sponsoring foreign workers.

Current ministry guidelines already set minimum salary levels for certain visa categories.

For example, E-7-1 visa holders are required to earn about 31.1 million won (US$21,000) annually.

The ministry said the updated policy will expand these criteria into a more comprehensive and structured framework.

“Wage requirements do not mean the government is deciding what foreign workers should be paid; they mean setting minimum pay conditions for granting them permission to stay here.

“Some other countries also set wage criteria as part of residence permits and Korea’s wage requirements for foreign workers are intended to further develop and upgrade that kind of system,” the official said.

Addressing concerns over compliance with International Labour Organization rules, the ministry said the policy does not introduce a separate minimum wage for foreign workers.

Instead, it sets income thresholds as part of visa and residency conditions.

The wage policy is being developed alongside a review of the regional-specific visa system.

The system currently allows industrial cities such as Ulsan to recruit large numbers of foreign shipyard workers.

Last week, the ministry formed an expert advisory group to assess whether the system should be maintained, scaled back or abolished.

A senior official from the Korean Metal Workers’ Union expressed general support for the policy direction.

“But unless long-standing abuses in subcontracting and workplace conditions are addressed, the impact will be limited and I’m skeptical that modest wage hikes alone will be enough to bring experienced Korean skilled workers back into shipyard subcontracting jobs,” he said.