S . Korea to improve working conditions for foreign seafarersBy Kang Yoon - seung SEOUL , June 9 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korea said Tuesday it will improve working conditions for foreign workers in the local fishery industry and prevent potential human rights violations by their employers . " As foreign seafarers are playing bigger roles in the country ' s fishery industry in sync with their rising presence , South Korea plans to roll out measures to improve their work environment , " the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said in a statement . The announcement came amid rising criticism that South Korea has been lacking measures to protect foreign fishermen from hazardous work conditions , although they accounted for more than 17 percent of the total workers in the segment . The ratio , which had reached 15 percent in 2014 , is expected to grow down the road as more South Koreans seek less physically strenuous jobs . Under the new measure , South Korea plans to expand ties with major countries of foreign workers here , including Indonesia , Vietnam , the Philippines and Myanmar , to better monitor manpower companies there . Indonesia currently accounts for nearly 35 percent of foreign workers in the segment . The ministry also plans to set guidelines for the minimum living conditions for foreign seamen ' s accommodations on smaller ships sized 20 tons or larger , as the existing law only offers instructions for smaller vessels . The country plans to raise a fund worth 170 billion won ( US $ 141 . 8 million ) to help smaller boat operators renovate their facilities as well , including having them be equipped with Wi - Fi equipment to help the foreign workers better contact their families back home . Other measures include offering Korean - language courses for the workers while teaching them how to swim and extinguish fires on board . colin @ yna . co . kr ( END )