Guarantors face 2 billion soums fine for breach of work agreements in Korea

The Migration Agency of Uzbekistan has reported that fines totaling 2 billion soums have been imposed on guarantors of nearly 80 Uzbek workers in South Korea who left their jobs without valid reasons.

This issue arises from instances where Uzbek citizens, who traveled to South Korea for temporary work, abandoned their positions without justification. Such actions negatively affect the labor quotas allocated to Uzbekistan and harm the reputation of Uzbek workers abroad.

To mitigate such issues, every Uzbek worker traveling to South Korea is required to sign a tripartite agreement. The agreement includes the following clause:

"If I leave my job without a valid reason and engage in illegal activities, I agree that my guarantor—a close relative—will be fined 2,000 USD for each month of my illegal stay in Korea."

In one case, the Central Bank, following a court decision, recovered 70 million 392 thousand soums from the guarantor of M.A., a Kashkadarya citizen who violated the terms of his work agreement in South Korea.

As of 2024, the fines imposed on guarantors of nearly 80 Uzbek citizens who breached their agreements have amounted to a total of 2 billion 35 million soums.