A group of Nepalese workers

KATHMANDU: Nepal has received demand for over 500 worker from South Korea after months of tardy formalities for hiring under Employment Permit System (EPS). EPS Nepal got demand for 534 Nepali workers from South Korean companies, said Mahesh Acharya, Director at EPS, Nepal office.

According to EPS Nepal office, the latest demand is from both old and new rosters. The office created a new roster for 2010-11 in last December. Around 4,096 Nepalis are listed in the roster out of 4,180 who passed the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) held in August last year.

Response from South Korea is encouraging, he said, it is the largest demand in EPS history since August 2008. Human Resource Department (HRD), South Korea, has sent the demand four days ago and details are not available about these requirements.

South Korea, a lucrative destination for Nepali migrant workers, has been hiring Nepali workers in manufacturing, agriculture and fisheries. However, the new roster is for the manufacturing sector only. Nepalis working in South Korea are earning around $ 1,000 a month, five to six times more than Gulf countries and Malaysia.