The event was attended by Minister of Labor Lee Jong Sik, President of the Human Resources Development Service Kim Yong Joon, Mayor of Busan Park Hong Joon and heads of diplomatic missions of 16 countries whose citizens receive a South Korean work visa E-9.

The South Korean side informed in detail about the advantages and problematic aspects of EPS. In particular, the EPS-Topic system began to be used in South Korea 19 years ago, and today it successfully works with 16 countries (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Taiwan, East Timor, Myanmar and Sri Lanka), attracting their citizens for employment in various industries.

According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Korea, a decrease in the working-age population in the country or an aging workforce, due to a sharp decline in the birth rate, lead to a shortage of qualified personnel. This causes an increase in the need for qualified foreign personnel. Therefore, the Government is developing a number of measures to prevent a shortage of labor in various industries.

It was noted at the conference that since the launch of the EPS-Topic system after obtaining an E-9 work visa to date, a total of 860 thousand people from 16 countries have already come to work in the Republic of Korea, including those who have been employed in various industries, and having gained experience, they successfully implement projects upon their return already in their own countries. Of these, more than 260 thousand foreign workers with E-9 visas are currently working in South Korea. It was reported that the demand for foreign workers this year amounted to 110 thousand people, and an increase in the size of quotas is expected in the coming years, as well as an expansion of the directions in which it will be possible to obtain an E-9 work visa.

During the event, an agreement was reached between the Korean Occupational Safety Organization and representatives of 16 countries on raising awareness of foreign citizens working in the Republic of Korea to prevent accidents at work.