Is South Korea’s ‘metropolitan visa’ for shipbuilding worth the cost of foreign labour?

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by The Korea TimesJanuary 28, 2026 at 10:11 AM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

South Korea's "metropolitan visa" policy, designed to address labor shortages by bringing in foreign workers to specific industrial regions, is generating controversy. President Lee Jae Myung's criticism of the shipbuilding industry's reliance on low-wage foreign labor in Ulsan has intensified the debate. Local governments and businesses support the visa program as a solution to critical labor shortages, while labor groups argue it perpetuates poor working conditions and low wages. The metropolitan visa allows local governments to set visa requirements based on regional needs. Ulsan plans to recruit 440 foreign workers this year for shipbuilding jobs, with the annual salary set at the legal minimum wage.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

shipbuilding industry ×260% Ulsan ×470% South Korea ×280% Lee Jae Myung ×290%

Keywords

metropolitan visa 100% foreign labour 90% shipbuilding industry 80% labour shortage 70% low wages 70% ulsan 60% visa policy 50% south korea 50% working conditions 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

South Korea

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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metropolitan visa foreign labour shipbuilding industry labour shortage low wages ulsan visa policy south korea working conditions

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