South Korea lifts curfew on Filipino helpers after 2 go missing

The initiative – part of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s broader strategy to address a declining birth rate by easing the childcare burden on families – is under review, with city officials holding meetings with representatives from the Ministry of Employment and Labour, partner companies, and the carers themselves.

The 10pm curfew had restricted Filipino workers from leaving their shared living spaces. Workers had voiced their dissatisfaction with the rule, asserting that they are adults capable of deciding how to spend their free time.

Additional reforms will allow the workers to receive their wages twice a month instead of once and enable them to continue working in South Korea after a six-month trial period, unless significant issues arise. Future work schedules will also take commuting distances into account for those juggling jobs across multiple households.

Kim Sun-soon, head of the city government’s policy division for gender equality and family, said the changes were made after gathering feedback “from the foreign workers and others involved in the programme and observing some areas that have room for improvement”.