Kim, who operates a motel in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, has entrusted cleaning work to three illegal immigrants from Mongolia. They clean about 40 rooms from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Although employing foreigners is not allowed at motels, Kim explained that it is practically difficult to operate without employing foreigners or illegal immigrants.
Kim said, "Even if foreigners get deported after being caught in a crackdown, they can easily be replaced through brokers. The government also knows that it is impossible to run accommodation businesses without foreigners or illegal immigrants, so there is not a proper atmosphere for enforcement."
The lodging industry became able to hire foreigners last year through a new employment permit system (E-9 visa) for tourist accommodation businesses, including hotels and resort condos. However, lodging businesses such as inns and motels, which had many requests for designation, were excluded. Although the importance of managing foreign workers is increasing, there are criticisms about the confusion on-site because the responsible government departments differ for each sector.
Among the hotel industry (55101), resort condo operation (55103), and other general and living accommodation facilities operation (55109) classified by the Korean Standard Industry Classification, the hostel sector has been employing foreign workers who received E-9 visas since last year. These businesses fall under the broader category of tourist accommodation. Employment is limited to establishments located in Seoul, Busan, Gangwon, and Jeju, and is restricted to hiring cleaning workers (94111), kitchen assistants (95220), and food service workers (45311) classified by the Korean Standard Occupational Classification.
The inn business (55102), like inns and motels, also belongs to the accommodation industry in the broad category but cannot employ foreigners due to the prohibition of the employment permit system. A representative of the Korea Accommodation Industry Association said, "There are many business operators and it is difficult to hire locals, so it is regrettable that the inn industry and rural guesthouse business were not added to the permitted sectors."
Although it is the same accommodation industry, the difference in whether to allow foreign employment for detailed sectors is due to different responsible departments. The hotel industry, resort condo operation, and hostel sectors authorized for foreign employment come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, while the inn industry, which is not allowed to employ foreigners, is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
A representative from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the agency overseeing the employment permit system, noted, "The tourist accommodation industry was newly designated after being reviewed in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's request, but the accommodation sector did not receive any separate requests from the welfare ministry." The ministry explained that it does not decide on designations proactively based on industrial demand, but that a formal request from the relevant departments is necessary for review.
The explanation from the welfare ministry differs from that of the employment ministry. It states that the welfare ministry can only discuss matters after the employment ministry conducts field surveys through research services. In response, a representative from the employment ministry said, "This is a misunderstanding on the part of the welfare ministry. We cannot request the welfare ministry to propose first."
Experts point out that the welfare ministry responds passively due to concerns about the workload since there are many small business sites in the inn industry. A representative from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which introduced foreign employment as a pilot project for hotels and condos, noted, "We need to continuously communicate with the field to determine where foreign workers are needed and whether there are any gaps in the system, which has increased our workload and responsibility."
Lee Kyu-yong, a senior researcher at the Korea Labor Institute (KLI), said, "The accommodation industry (inn business) has a hidden nature. Allowing foreign employment raises issues such as how to manage it and which department will handle it, so (obtaining permission for foreign employment) is not a simple matter."
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