One hundred and thirteen Bangladesh workers left for Seoul from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport via a direct chartered flight operated by a Korean airline Wednesday.
It was the fifth batch of Bangladesh workers who went to Korea this year after the departure of 110 on February 16.
Fifty-two of the 113 workers were newly employed and the rest re-entered the East Asian country.
South Korea stopped accepting foreign workers in March 2020 due to Covid and resumed receiving the expatriates from December 2021.
Since then, 562 Bangladesh workers have gone to Korea – 111 in December 2021; 92 on January 5, 38 on January 19, 98 on February 9, 110 on February 16, and 113 on March 9 this year – said the South Korean Embassy in Dhaka.
South Korea has been accepting medium and low-skilled workers from 16 countries, including Bangladesh, through the EPS (Employment Permit System) programme.
However, due to the unprecedented and prolonged pandemic, the Korean government suspended receiving EPS workers.
Following continuous requests from the sending countries and the employers, South Korea decided to lift the suspension from November last year on a limited scale and in a phased manner with strict Covid measures.
The remittance inflow from the Bangladesh workers in Korea has been continuously increasing in recent years from $80.65 million in fiscal year (FY) 2016-17 to $209.16 million in FY 2020-21, according to the Bangladesh Bank.
