Foreigners make up over 25 pct of sailors in S. Korea

SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- More than one out of four sailors working on South
Korean ships were foreign nationals last year with most of them coming from
neighboring Asian countries, a government report showed Wednesday.

According to the report by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs,
a total of 12,777 foreigners were working for Korean ships at the end of last
year, accounting for 25.7 percent of the total 49,764 employed as crew members.
Indonesian sailors made up 29 percent, the largest proportion of the total.
Chinese and Philippine sailors came next with shares of 27 percent and 17
percent, respectively, the report showed.
The share of foreign sailors here has been growing at an annual average of 6.3
percent since 2000, the report showed. Meanwhile, South Korean sailors working
for foreign ships stood at 4,176 at the end of last year, declining an average of
4.2 percent every year, according to the report.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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