Civic groups protest a pilot project to introduce 100 foreign domestic workers in the middle of a public hearing, holding signs that read "Stop the introduction of slavery." (Yonhap)

The Korean government said Monday that it will have about 100 foreign domestic helpers working in housework and child care at home in Seoul on a trial basis from as early as this year. The plan was immediately met with opposition from civic groups here, who called it “exploitation.”

The Labor Ministry said at a public hearing that it would launch a pilot project to test out the foreign domestic helper system in Korean society, in order to respond to the demand for domestic care labor and the issue of the aging of Korean domestic helpers.

Civic groups including the Korean Women Workers‘ Association, however, condemned the government’s push for the pilot project, saying the policy legalizes the exploitation of migrant women workers and does not guarantee them the right to work safely.

Activists held signs that read “Stop the introduction of slavery” and protested at the conference hall where the public hearing took place. They said the government‘s hopes of boosting the birth rate through the scheme were misguided, pointing out that the total fertility rates in Hong Kong and Taiwan actually dropped after introducing similar schemes for foreign domestic workers there.

Civic groups also criticized the government for trying to resolve the demand for domestic care labor with foreign workers as it shows that officials think of foreign workers merely as cheap labor. They also pointed out that even though foreign domestic workers are easily exposed to sexual and emotional abuse while on the job, the government has not proposed any measures to prevent such abuse.

Kim Hye-jung, an official with the Korea Migrant Women‘s Human Rights Center, added that the introduction of foreign domestic workers “is sex and racial discrimination,” and emphasized that “it is just an attempt to bring in cheap labor.”

The pilot project will be conducted within the city of Seoul, and the foreign domestic helpers will work for at least six months. The main users of the service will be dual-income couples in their 20s to 40s with children, single-parent families and pregnant women.

When government-certified agencies hire foreign domestic workers, the worker will provide domestic and child care services under a contract with the agency. The worker will receive an E-9 visa and wages at or above the minimum wage.

Accommodations for foreign domestic workers will be provided by the agencies that sign the contract with the workers, but the workers must pay rent. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will initially support housing, transportation and interpretation costs for foreign domestic workers to help them settle in Korea for an unspecified amount of time.

Workers from countries such as the Philippines, which operates a certificate system related to domestic work, will initially be considered. Domestic workers from the Philippines are eligible to obtain a certificate after six months of training at a vocational training center in there.

The Korean government said it will consider “relevant experience and knowledge, age and Korean and English skills” while selecting candidates. Foreign domestic workers with criminal records, a history of mental illness or drug use will not be allowed to take part in the pilot project.

For the convenience of both workers and employers, basic lectures about the Korean language, culture and labor law will be provided to foreign domestic helpers before and shortly after entering Korea. After being assigned to a domestic worker service agency, hygiene and safety education, including on the prevention of child abuse, will be provided.

According to the results of the pilot project, which will kick off as early as this year, an official project to introduce foreign domestic helpers will be designed.