1. In the presence of the leaders of the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands on the heels of their summit talks at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae on September 27, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and Minister for Agriculture Martijn van Dam of the Netherlands signed the bilateral “Memorandum of Understanding Relating to a Working Holiday Program.” The MOU, after brought into force on October 1, will allow as many as an annual 100 Koreans aged 18-30 to stay in the Netherlands for up to one year traveling and working in limited fields.

2. The MOU carries great significance in that youngsters of the two countries will be offered opportunities to experience each other countries’ culture and lifestyle while working and traveling there. As a result, young people of the two countries are expected to engage in more exchanges and better understand each other, which will likely lead to closer friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

3. The ROK has concluded such agreements with 21 countries. In 2015 alone, 37,833 Koreans took part in the working holiday program overseas. Going forward, the Foreign Ministry will seek to further expand its institutional basis in order to offer youngsters more opportunities to participate in the program abroad.


* unofficial translation