Parks to hire migrant women as guides

Migrant women from multiracial families will work as “eco-guides” at national parks so foreign tourists can get a better understanding of the local ecosystem.

The Korea National Park Service said Monday it will select 15 female employees from the Philippines, China and Mongolia who live near the parks and have them work in 10 of them across the nation. It plans to expand the number of guides to 80 by 2015.

“The eco-guides from multiracial families will be working at national parks including Seoraksan, Bukhansan, and Naejangsan parks,” an official said.

“The move is bound to facilitate foreign tourists’ understanding of the ecology of the parks as well as help the migrant women of multiracial families settle down in society with a stable job,” he said.

The authorities will start a month-long training session for the selected women at Bukhansan National Park on Monday.

Some 1 million foreigners visit the parks every year but no service is provided in English.

Currently some 120 Korean guides work at national parks throughout the nation. <The Korea Times/Kim Bo-eun>

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