[News Today] FILIPINO DOMESTIC HELPERS IN KOREA

[LEAD]
Filipino domestic helpers have arrived under a pilot program to hire foreign workers, a joint initiative by the central government and Seoul City. Starting next month, these workers will be employed in the homes of successful applicants. As much as it's drawing significant interest, it's also raising a lot of concerns.

[REPORT]
One hundred Filipino domestic workers donning blue jackets enter the arrival hall of the airport.

They are all women in their 20s and 30s with state-authorized childcare certificates.
They will commute to their jobs in Korea from a shared lodging facility in Seoul.

Domestic worker from Philippines
I decided to come because I like South Korea very much.
(Have you learned Korean?)I worked very hard to learn it.

The foreign domestic helpers will receive four weeks of training in Korea to help them adapt to local conditions before starting their six-month jobs in Korean households from September 3.

The fee is 13,700 won, or just under 10 dollars per hour, which is above the country's minimum wage.

So far 751 households have applied, but only 100 of them will be selected.

They mostly need help with cleaning their children's rooms, preparing meals for their children, and taking them to and picking them up from kindergarten.
Some applicants have requested English education services as well.

Cha Mi-young / Seoul Metropolitan Gov't
Some families want to hire Filipino domestic helpers because they are fluent in English and can teach it to their children.

However, there are concerns over the exact scope of the domestic workers' duties, as the so-called "ancillary" chores related to family members living in the same household are also permitted.

The guidelines say domestic helpers' responsibilities are to cook children's meals only, but they may also include doing the dishes used by adult family members.
There are also ambiguous guidelines that say domestic workers can use vacuum cleaners, but are not required to wipe the floor by hand.

Choi Young-mi / Domestic Workers Union
Their Korean language is not good enough to express their thoughts. A monitoring system is essential to help them.

The central and Seoul metropolitan governments will set up a petition processing team to prepare for conflicts that may arise in relation to foreign domestic helpers.