President of the South Korean Human Resources Development Service of Korea, Prof. Park Young-bum said his country would consider increasing the employment quota for Sri Lanka workers. He said this when President Maithripala Sirisena asked about the possibility of increasing the employment quota for Sri Lankan agricultural workers, when Prof Park called on him at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday. 

The President thanked the Government of South Korea for providing employment to workers in fisheries and agriculture sectors. Foreign Employment Minister Talata Atukorala said over 25,000 Sri Lanka workers are employed in Korea. She said the current annual quota for Sri Lanka is 6,000 and among the 16 countries providing workers to Korea, Sri Lanka has now risen to the 5th position.

Prof Park said that the Korean employers are quite satisfied about job performances and efficiency of Sri Lankan workers and stated that he would examine the possibility of increasing the job quota for Sri Lankan in the agriculture sector. He said that Sri Lankan workers have become famous in Korea after the recent incident of a devastating fire, in which a Sri Lankan worker, risking his life, saved a women entrapped in a burning building.

President Sirisena said Sri Lanka is extremely happy about the rapid development achieved by Korea.

Minister Talata Atukorala, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Won-sam Chang and Chairman of Bureau of Foreign Employment Raaj Obeysekere were also present on this occasion.

(PMD)