Laos’ Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW) has warned people seeking jobs in South Korea not to use unauthorized brokers who claim they can speed up the government’s employment process in exchange for additional payments.
In a notice dated 13 August, the ministry said it had received information that unauthorized individuals and organizations offer Lao job seekers the chance to travel to South Korea faster than through the official Employment Permit System (EPS), in exchange for additional fees.
Under the EPS, the recruitment and deployment of Lao workers to South Korea is handled directly between the Lao and South Korea governments.
The ministry said other parties are not authorized to participate in the process.
The ministry urged Korean language training centers to protect students’ personal information and avoid sharing it with unrelated individuals or organizations, warning that unauthorized groups could misuse such data to offer misleading services or demand illegitimate payments.
Any centers that share individual data with unauthorized parties may face penalties, including exclusion from future EPS registration and exams.
Growing Laos-South Korea Links
Laos and South Korea continue to deepen cooperation across labour migration, agriculture, and economic development.
Laos plans to send over 17,000 workers to South Korea in 2026 under its seasonal work program, while improving training, recruitment and returning workers. Yet early 2025 figures reported by Lao authorities showed over 73,000 Lao workers living abroad undocumented, underscoring the need for legal recruitment.
