Over the past 17 years since the launch of the Employment Permit System (EPS) in South Korea, around 120,000 Nepali youths have traveled to the country for employment. According to the agreement between the governments of Nepal and South Korea, 119,768 Nepali youths have gone to South Korea for work through EPS since it began in 2008 reports Gorkhaptra Daily

The report said that the agreement to send Nepali workers to Korea under EPS was signed in 2007, and based on that, Nepali workers started going to Korea from 2008. Among those, 7,365 are women, according to the EPS Employment Branch of Nepal’s Department of Foreign Employment.

According to the branch, 919,631 youths have applied to take the Korean language proficiency test required for EPS so far. For 2024, a record number of over 183,000 applied for the language test. For 2025, there is a demand for 5,300 Nepali workers, with 3,500 in the production sector and 1,800 in agriculture and livestock, as reported by the EPS Korea branch.

In the first seven months of 2024 alone, 4,984 Nepali workers have already reached South Korea. Due to attractive benefits compared to other countries, South Korea continues to be a favored labor destination for Nepali youth. Since Nepal began sending workers through EPS, the highest number was recorded in 2023, with 19,689 workers. In 2024, 9,285 workers have gone so far.

Kamal Prasad Bhattarai, Director General of the Foreign Employment Department, stated that South Korea remains a top priority for Nepali youths due to low processing costs and higher earnings compared to other countries. He noted, “The process of taking workers in Korea is very transparent. As the recruitment is done through a government-to-government agreement, it is also safe. EPS allows workers to earn significantly more at a much lower cost, making South Korea the first choice for Nepali youths.”

South Korea recruits foreign workers through EPS not only from Nepal but also from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Cambodia, China, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Laos, and Tajikistan.

According to the EPS branch, around 60,000 to 61,000 Nepali workers are currently working in South Korea. The employment agreement between the two countries is renewed every two years. The last renewal was in 2022, but the next one due in 2024 has yet to be finalized.