Seoul: South Korea will allocate more than 22,000 additional seasonal migrant workers in the second half of this year to tackle chronic labor shortages in its agricultural and fisheries sectors, the justice ministry said Friday. The ministry confirmed this move during a joint meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, where they approved the allocation of 22,731 seasonal workers to 100 local governments across the country.

According to Philippines News Agency, with this latest decision, the total number of seasonal workers assigned for this year rises to 95,700, marking a 41 percent increase from last year's figure of 67,778. The agriculture ministry also plans to enable local governments to run public seasonal worker programs using local funds starting in the second half after receiving government approval.