The government will reinforce entry restrictions for seasonal laborers from overseas amid a rapid expansion of COVID-19 variant cases.
According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on Wednesday, foreign laborers will be allowed to work at local farms only after testing negative four times.
The workers will be required to receive a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, undergo a 14-day quarantine, and then get tested a second time within 72 hours prior to departure from their home country.
Upon arrival in South Korea, they will have to get tested a third time, quarantine for another two weeks, then test negative a fourth time before being permitted to work.
If a worker tests positive after violating the country's quarantine regulations, they will face a disadvantage when seeking a work permit the following year.
Since July 9, the government has imposed an entry ban on workers from countries reporting a virus resurgence.