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Kathmandu, Feb 2: South Korean government officials have said the Employment Permit System (EPS) cannot be changed only for Nepal, stressing that the same system applies to all 17 participating countries.

During a meeting on Friday between officials from South Korea’s labour and employment authorities and representatives of the Nepali Embassy, the Korean side made it clear that extending roster validity or altering procedures solely for Nepal is not possible. They said demands from Nepali workers who passed the Korean language test but have been unable to travel for nearly two years cannot be met under the current framework.

According to embassy officials, South Korea maintained that a uniform EPS rule applies to all 17 countries. The roster remains valid for two years everywhere, and extensions have only been granted in exceptional situations, such as the COVID period, and that too for all countries at once.

Since an EPS job notice opened in 2024, many Nepalis selected from 2025 onward have been protesting, seeking roster extensions, system changes, and permission to forward their files to employers. Korean officials said none of these requests could be addressed.

The Korean side also raised concerns about staff security. Officials said they felt uneasy after seeing protests in Nepal, where demonstrators carried photos of HRD Korea staff.

Nepali embassy representatives clarified that the Government of Nepal remains fully committed to the E 9 visa system and that the protests reflect frustration over long waiting periods, not hostility toward South Korea or its government.

South Korea noted that around 130,000 Nepali workers have gone to the country under EPS so far, accounting for over 44 per cent of the total workforce recruited through the system. Officials said this shows Nepal has not faced discrimination.

They added that once workers are listed on the roster, final selection depends entirely on employer needs and private sector criteria such as age, physical standards, and work experience, leaving no room for government-level intervention.

For further talks, a high-level Nepali delegation led by the secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security is preparing to visit South Korea. The Korean side has proposed meetings on February 10 to 11 or February 26 to 27, with formal communication already underway through diplomatic channels.

People’s News Monitoring Service