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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5629
INFO RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ALMATY PRIORITY 7838
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT PRIORITY 1928
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK PRIORITY 2453
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 0021
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE PRIORITY 2356
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 0011
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 0140
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RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 6631
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RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 000825 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, EAP, EB, PRM, DRL/IL, G/TIP 
LABOR FOR ILAB 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2016 
TAGS: ELAB SMIG ECON EFIN SOCI PGOV KS UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN AND SOUTH KOREA DEEPEN THEIR LABOR 
RELATIONS 
 
REF: A. A) TASHKENT 699 
 
     ¶B. B) TASHKENT 633 
     ¶C. C) 05 TASHKENT 3385 
     ¶D. D) 05 TASHKENT 3253 
 
Classified By: AMB. JON R. PURNELL, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) 
 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Uzbekistan and South Korea are taking steps 
to strengthen their labor relations.  Sources at the Uzbek 
Ministry of Labor and South Korean Embassy told Poloff that 
their governments have agreed to facilitate labor contracts 
for Uzbek guest workers.  Uzbekistan will reportedly become 
one of only a half dozen countries to benefit from the South 
Korean "Employment Permit System."  As a condition, the GOU 
reportedly pledged to strengthen its fight against illegal 
labor and migration to South Korea.  A Ministry of Labor 
source claims that the number of Uzbeks working illegally in 
South Korea has dropped since last year as a result of 
intensified Uzbek-South Korean governmental cooperation.  The 
GOU is considering opening Ministry of Labor Agency for 
Foreign Labor Migration Affairs branch offices in South 
Korea, and a new position at the Uzbek Embassy in Seoul to 
handle labor affairs.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) An official at the Ministry of Labor's Agency for 
Foreign Labor Migration Affairs (AFLMA) told Poloff that 
President Karimov signed an agreement to deepen bilateral 
labor relations during his March 28-30 visit to South Korea. 
However, a South Korean Embassy consular officer told Poloff 
that the governments had so far only committed to signing a 
MOU on labor relations this summer.  During his visit, 
President Karimov also signed a Declaration on Strategic 
Partnership, and agreements for South Korean firms to explore 
and develop Uzbek oil, gas, and mineral reserves (refs A, B). 
 Uzbekistan will reportedly become one of only six countries 
eligible for the South Korean "Employment Permit System" 
(EPS).  (Note: The others reportedly include Indonesia, 
Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Mongolia.  End note.) 
Both Deputy Labor Minister Anvar Akbarov and the new AFLMA 
head, Gafur Usmanov, accompanied President Karimov on the 
visit.  Uzbek laborers currently work in South Korea under 
the "Industrial Training" program, which will be phased out 
by January 2007. 
 
¶3. (C) According to the Ministry of Labor official, one of 
the admission requirements for EPS was a GOU pledge to fight 
illegal migration to South Korea.  According to our contact, 
the number of Uzbeks working illegally in South Korea has 
dropped from roughly 5,000 to 2,000 over the past year as a 
result of close intergovernmental cooperation in deporting 
illegal workers (ref C).  According to both Ministry of Labor 
and South Korean Embassy sources, there are around 10,000 
Uzbeks working officially in South Korea (ref D).  The 
Ministry of Labor has three partner organizations in South 
Korea to protect workers and fight against illegal labor: 
AFLMA-Korea, TRAEBU (Tashkent Region Abroad Employment 
Bureau)-Korea, and TRAEBU-World.  Most of their employees are 
Russian-speaking Koreans. 
 
¶4. (C) Our Ministry contact said that the AFLMA is 
considering opening representative offices in South Korea as 
early as this summer.  Our contact was offered a job at one 
of the offices, if she learns Korean.  (Note: The Ministry of 
Labor's Center for Pre-Dispatch Adaptation provides Korean 
language and culture training to workers going to South 
Korea.  End note.)  Our contact added that the GOU is also 
considering creating a new position at the Uzbek Embassy in 
Seoul to handle labor affairs. 
 
¶5. (C) The Ministry of Labor source told us that a South 
Korean Ministry of Labor delegation will visit Uzbekistan in 
May to investigate the possibility of opening South Korean 
Ministry of Labor regional branch offices in Uzbekistan.  The 
delegation will also interview and assess job applicants. 
(Note: In order to be eligible for guest worker programs 
 
TASHKENT 00000825  002 OF 002 
 
 
applicants must be 18-39 years told, in good physical shape, 
know basic Korean, and lack a criminal record.  End note.) 
Workers are given free accommodation and meals, and earn an 
average of $1000 per month, most of which is remitted back to 
Uzbekistan. 
 
¶6. (C) Comment: Jobs in South Korea are highly regarded, and 
provide a higher level of social protection than in Russia or 
Kazakhstan, where the vast majority of Uzbeks work illegally. 
 Many Uzbek citizens working in Korea hail from the nearly 
200,000 strong ethnic Korean community here.  As long as the 
Uzbek economy continues to decline and jobs become more and 
more scarce, the number of people looking to work abroad will 
continue to grow.  End comment. 
PURNELL