(VOVworld) - The Republic of Korea will soon be receiving again Vietnamese guest workers following the signing of a special memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Seoul on Tuesday.

The one-year MoU, effective as of December 31, 2013, will benefit more than 14,000 Vietnamese nationals who either registered for or passed Korean language tests in 2011 and 2012. After a year, both sides will review the implementation of the special MoU and consider extending the program. The signing of this special MoU demonstrates both countries’ efforts to reduce the number of Vietnamese nationals residing illegally in the RoK. The RoK suspended its Employment Permit System (EPS) for Vietnam in August 2012 after many Vietnamese guest workers broke their contracts and resided illegally in the country.