S. Korea's foreign domestic worker programme in limbo

South Korea's pilot programme for overseas domestic workers is hanging in the balance, with no clear path forward after months of delays, labour disputes and a new administration that had voiced scepticism about the system in the past.

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SEOUL -

The Ministry of Employment and Labour had pledged to finalise a long-term version for the programme by mid-2025, but nothing has been put forward. Vice-Labour Minister Kim Min-seok said on June 15 that it "won't be easy" to expand beyond the pilot programme within June.

Launched in September 2024, the initiative aimed to ease pressure on working parents by hiring 100 trained domestic workers from the Philippines to assist with childcare and housework in Seoul.

It was framed as a response to South Korea's record-low birth rate and the growing strain on dual-income families.

The project had support from former president Yoon Suk Yeol, but it now faces uncertainty following his removal in April.

His successor, the Democratic Party's Lee Jae-myung, took office on June 4; his party has consistently raised concerns about the initiative.