During a town hall meeting, Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom discussed the low wages of shipyard workers and attributed some of this to domestic workers not wanting to engage in labor. He asserted that, despite the low base pay of foreign workers, they can earn over 4 million won monthly through overtime and holiday pay, implying that their hard work compensates for the initial low wage. Kim strongly supports maintaining the 'Regional Type Visa for the Shipbuilding Industry,' which accommodates foreign labor to meet industry demands, despite criticisms surrounding labor conditions and the implications on local employment.

He argued that there are insufficient domestic workers willing to take on these roles, stating that raising labor costs could diminish the competitiveness of South Korea’s shipbuilding industry against countries like China. This position has drawn backlash, especially when he dismissed concerns about the poor working conditions for local shipyard laborers raised by President Lee Jae-myung during the same meeting. Critics suggest that his pro-business stance may overlook the welfare of workers, both domestic and foreign.

Furthermore, Mayor Kim highlighted that the visa program ensures a stable workforce by allowing skilled foreign laborers to work in Ulsan's shipyards for at least two years. However, his claim was challenged by Hyundai Heavy Industries, which confirmed that there had been no instances of Uzbek workers sent back to their country after entering under this visa scheme. The discrepancies between Kim's statements and industry facts raise questions about the true state of labor practices and the city’s reliance on foreign workers in a sector facing significant scrutiny for worker treatment.