Korea’s aging rural workforce is increasingly dependent on migrant labor, government data showed Sunday.

According to data from the Agriculture Ministry released by Rep. Park Wan-joo of the ruling Democratic Party on Friday, the number of migrant workers in Korea’s agricultural industry reached 22,300 as of July. Last year, 7,018 migrant workers entered Korea to work in the agriculture industry, a steep increase from 5,641 in 2013.

Cambodia topped the list with 12,269 workers, followed by Nepal with 7,941, Thailand with 3,817 and Myanmar with 3,253.

The chronic labor shortage in aging rural communities is considered the biggest reason behind the rapid influx of migrant workers. According to the ministry’s data, those aged 65 and above account for 40 percent of the population in Korea’s rural regions, a steep increase from 34 percent in 2011.

“The aging workforce in (Korea’s) rural communities is increasingly dependent on migrant labor. The size of the migrant workforce in rural areas would be bigger if we factored in undocumented workers.” said Rep. Park. 

(mjk625@heraldcorp.com)