Filipino caregivers participating in the foreign domestic worker pilot program arrive at Incheon International Airport, Aug. 6. Yonhap

Two Filipino caregivers, who left their workplace without permission in Seoul last month and were apprehended in Busan, were found to have been working illegally in cleaning jobs.

Philippine officials cited excessive surveillance as a reason for their unauthorized departure. The Philippine government has urged the remaining 98 Filipino workers in Korea to comply with immigration laws.

Hans Leo Cacdac, the secretary of the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), said Wednesday that the government is awaiting the results of the investigation conducted by local Korean authorities regarding the workers' unauthorized departure.

Cacdac emphasized that the Philippine government is providing legal assistance to the workers to ensure that they would face no undue pressure during the investigation.

According to reports from the Filipino media outlet GMA, the two caregivers claimed that they faced difficulties due to alleged overwork and overwatch.

"They were able to find another job offering employment as a cleaner. So that was where they were caught, with their new employer. They were brought to the immigration authority in Busan," said Bernard Olalia, undersecretary of the DMW.

In August, 100 Filipino caregivers arrived in Korea as part of a pilot domestic worker program. Two of these workers disappeared from their accommodations in Seoul's Gangnam District on Sept. 15 during the Chuseok holiday. They were apprehended on Oct. 4 in Busan, where they were working illegally.

Philippine officials, including DMW Undersecretary Olalia, suggested that the workers left due to the strain caused by "overwatch," or excessive surveillance, possibly referring to a curfew that required them to return to their accommodations by 10 p.m.

Following complaints, the Seoul Metropolitan Government abolished the curfew policy on Sept. 26, switching to a fully autonomous system.

The DMW said it was also coordinating with the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor to improve the program and support Filipinos during the adjustment period.

"It's a pilot program and we expect certain challenges, issues and problems along the way, (all of) which are now being carefully addressed by both sides," Cacdac said.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.