BANGKOK, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korea has offered illegal Thai workers to leave the country voluntarily or get deported in six months.

Thailand's Labor Minster Adul Saengsingkaew said on Tuesday the South Korean authorities have provided leniency for the Thai workers, found illegally employed in South Korea, to the extent that they may leave the country voluntarily until the end of next March or be subject to deportation and get blacklisted.

Besides, those who may fail to leave within the deadline will be banned from re-entering South Korea for a 10-years time, according to the labor minister.

He said the Thai embassy in Seoul has called on the illegal Thai workers to promptly accept the offer so that they might be allowed to return to South Korea as legal employees in the future.

An estimated 120,000 Thai nationals are allegedly overstaying in South Korea beyond a 90-day limit.