2 Philippine domestic helpers absent from work without permission after Chuseok holiday

Two Philippine domestic workers have been out of contact since last week after arriving in South Korea under a pilot project aimed at reducing child care burdens and boosting the birth rate, officials said Monday. The two, who arrived on Aug. 6 as part of a 100-member group of home helpers from the Southeast Asian nation, left their quarters on Sept. 15, the second day of a five-day Chuseok holiday. They were supposed to return by Sept. 18 but did not. Their job placement agency has since tried unsuccessfully to reach them. The agency plans to report their unauthorized absence to a regional labor office and the justice ministry Thursday. If they remain out of contact thereafter, they will officially be categorized as illegal immigrants, officials said. It was not clear why they chose to leave, though some raise speculation that they fled due to low wages from short working hours compared with the manufacturing sector as well as fears of layoff after the short-term project. The workers entered South Kore a as part of a six-month project led by the Seoul city government to assign foreign nannies to households with kids or newborns to help with child care and housework, and began working on Sept. 3 after about a month of training. The remaining 98 people have been working normally, officials said. Source: Yonhap News Agency