"South Korea" has blacklisted four Thai provinces, banning the import of seasonal agricultural and fishing workers (E-8 visa) throughout 2026 after some workers attempted to escape their employers.
On 12 May 2026, reporters noted that after messages circulated on social media claiming that "South Korea" had banned four Thai provinces, causing widespread criticism,
regarding this matter, the Facebook page "Anti-Fake News Center" Anti-Fake News Center Thailandaddressed the issue, stating that the Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour, confirmed that "the news is true." This is because some Thai workers who went to work seasonally in agriculture and fishing under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (E-8 visa) from four provinces—Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, and Maha Sarakham—partly fled their employers. As a result, the Republic of Korea authorities imposed blacklist measures on the offending workers and suspended the import of workers from these four provinces for one year, from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026.
Those interested in working abroad can find details on application procedures and schedules at the Department of Employment website doe.go.th/overseas or Facebook: Department of Employment. For further inquiries, contact the provincial employment offices or the Bangkok Metropolitan Employment Offices Areas 1–10, Thai Overseas Employment Administration Division by phone at 02-245-6708 or the hotline 1506 press 2.