The Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRDK) in Cambodia has told 1,615 Cambodians who have worked in South Korea to apply for the withdrawal of their insurance claims which was withheld by the government during their employment.
The announcement read: “Please check and verify that your name is on the list to apply for the withdrawal of your insurance claims. You will need to attach a copy of your passport and photograph, and provide your personal bank account number in your application. If you are not on the list, please contact our staff.”
Pech Sipav, an HRDK insurance official, told The Post on Wednesday that the amount of money to be refunded varies depending on how long each worker was employed.
“The money is available to all workers, regardless of whether they lived in South Korea legally or illegally. The money has been kept for them,” he said.
Sipav said as of this month, there are 1,615 Cambodians on the list who are eligible to apply for the insurance money. But he said only 10 to 15 per cent of the workers have completed the application form.
He added that some workers are unaware of the insurance money, which can be withdrawn every year.
He hopes the announcement will be widely disseminated.
“The withdrawal is a bit slow because some workers have not received the information. We request that workers who used to work in Korea send their passports to the centre and if there’s money to be withdrawn, we will inform them.”
Neang Tong, who worked in Korea in 2017, told The Post on Wednesday he had not withdrawn any insurance money since returning to Cambodia. He said he thought he would not be able to get the money back because he waited too long to fill out an application.
“I knew they had withheld my money, but I had no idea I could still get it back after two years. I wasn’t expecting to get this money but it will help me and my family a lot. I’ll also be able to save some money to start a small business one day,” he said.
