The South Korean government has asked Sri Lanka to immediately repatriate Sri Lankan workers who had been legally employed in South Korea but are overstaying their visas, an official said.

Kamal Ratwatte, chairman of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) said around 2000 Sri Lankan workers, registered with the bureau, are currently staying illegally in South Korea after their employment terms expired, ColomboPage reported.

The chairman said the Korean government stated that new employment opportunities will not be provided to Sri Lanka during the period when the former employees are staying illegally.

It also affects those hoping to receive employment offers and leads to the risk of losing a large number of jobs in the future, the official pointed out.

If the illegal workers are not brought in, legal action will be taken immediately against those who signed the guarantee agreements on their behalf, and against the worker in question as well, the SLBFE chairman said.