[Seoul] Seoul promotes introduction of 'foreign drivers' on village buses

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has officially proposed to the government for the first time to allow foreigners to be hired as village bus drivers.The city of

said it has asked the Office for Government Policy Coordination to include transportation for non-professional employment visas, E-9 visas, and to extend the period of employment from three years to five years.An official from

said, "It is not easy to supply and demand village bus drivers, and the aging of existing drivers is serious," adding, "If the government solves the visa problem within this year, it will be able to operate in the form of a pilot project next year."

In response, the Seoul Bus Workers' Union of the Korean Automobile Workers' Union said the shortage of village bus drivers was due to thin salaries and hard work, calling for an immediate end to the plan to hire foreign bus drivers and improving their treatment and working conditions.