S. Korea, Ireland sign tentative working holiday agreement

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- Young adults from South Korea and Ireland will soon be
able to work for up to a year while traveling or studying in either country under
a new program signed by the two countries, the government here said Monday.

Cho Tae-yong, South Korea's ambassador to Ireland, signed a memorandum of
understanding on the "working holiday" program with Ireland's Assistant Secretary
John Neary at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, Seoul's Foreign
Ministry said.
A working holiday visa is a travel permit which allows visitors to undertake
employment in the country issuing the visa for the purpose of supplementing their
travel funds.
The visa programs, used as a means to encourage travel and cultural exchanges,
allow young people to experience living in a foreign country without undergoing
the usual costly expenses of finding work sponsorship in advance or joining
expensive university exchange programs.
The deal is expected to take effect soon after minor procedural issues are
completed in both countries, with those between ages 18-30 eligible for the
permits.
South Korea already operates working holiday programs with six other countries,
including Australia, Japan, Canada and New Zealand. Some 40,000 South Koreans
have taken part in the programs so far.
Seoul is currently in consultation with other countries to expand the program,
the ministry said.
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