Taiwan and South Korea yesterday tentatively agreed to establish a bilateral working holiday scheme to allow young travelers to obtain employment in each other’s country as part of efforts to boost tourism and cultural exchanges, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the working program was signed in Taipei by Taiwanese Representative to South Korea Benjamin Liang (梁英斌) and his South Korean counterpart, Yang Keun-koo.
Under the scheme, which is expected to come into force on Jan. 1, people aged 18 to 30 who qualify for the program would receive multiple-entry visas valid for 12 months for holiday purposes while being allowed to work there to support themselves during the period.
Initially, no quota will be set on the number of working holiday permits to be handed out, with both sides eventually deciding on a quota based on the program’s success.
The ministry said Taipei and Seoul had been working on the MOU for more than a year.
South Korea is the sixth country to have signed such an agreement with Taiwan, following New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Canada and Germany.
The agreement comes amid feelings of discontent by some Taiwanese against South Korea over the controversial disqualification last week of Taiwanese taekwondo gold medal hopeful Yang Shu-chun (楊淑君) at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Reports have also said that Taiwanese expatriates in South Korea have faced unkind treatment in retaliation.
There was mixed reaction to the agreement before it became official among those who have contemplated participating in a working holiday program.
Ian Chen, 26, said he was not interested in going to South Korea because most of his friends who have traveled there for vacation, work or study have had negative experiences.
“My friends described people there as narrow-minded and unwelcoming to anyone who is not [South] Korean,” he said, saying he would choose either Japan or Germany as his destination.
Chen said his lack of interest in South Korea had nothing to do with the ongoing taekwondo controversy.
Conversely, 25-year-old social worker Edward Chien said he would not rule out South Korea as a destination for a working holiday because every country has something unique to offer.
Additional reporting by CNA
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