JAKARTA - Indonesia said a proposed Gyeongnam worker-placement channel for shipbuilding jobs is on hold during a South Korean government review.
Deputy Migrant Worker Protection Minister Christina Aryani confirmed the status after meeting Hwang Geuk Jae, head of Gyeongnam Province’s representative office in Jakarta, on July 20. The proposed Gyeongnam placement channel had been intended to place Indonesian workers in the province’s shipbuilding industry but had not begun operating.
“During the evaluation process, the programme is temporarily suspended,” Christina said. “We understand the situation and will continue to follow every development.”
South Korea began its regional visa pilot in 2025 with 14 metropolitan and provincial governments. The system allows participating regions to propose selected requirements for D-2 student visas and E-7 employment visas based on local economic and labour needs. Provincial recommendations remain subject to Justice Ministry examination and approval.
The Justice Ministry formed an expert review task force in March to examine the programme’s performance, operational problems and whether it should continue. The task force held its first meeting on March 5.
Gyeongnam received allocations covering 24 occupations, including three shipbuilding roles and 21 other fields spanning manufacturing, metalwork, construction, mining and information technology. Provincial council records described quotas of 540 shipbuilding workers and 130 workers in the other covered occupations.
Hwang told the Indonesian ministry that South Korea’s economic slowdown, incomplete industrial recovery and higher tax costs had restrained demand for foreign labour in Gyeongnam.
“These conditions affect placement opportunities for Indonesian migrant workers in Gyeongnam,” Christina said.
Indonesia continues to place workers in South Korea through a separate government-to-government programme. The ministry has previously sent 133 workers through that channel on June 8, including 100 workers for fishing, 30 for manufacturing and three for service-sector jobs.