The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Thursday confirmed a detailed plan to grant E-9 visas to 46,000 migrant workers under the employment permit system.

According to the plan, 17,650 workers will be allowed in during the first quarter of this year to ease the acute labor shortage in the manufacturing, farming and fishing sectors. In the second quarter, another 13,350 workers will arrive. The rest will be hired in the third and fourth quarters, the ministry said in a statement.

On top of the 46,000, some 1,000 visas have been allotted to those who seek to re-enter Korea after they returned to their country upon the expiration of their previous visa.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)