Bullying case of Migrant Workers in South Korea

source

One of the most painful positions to be in is to be a migrant worker in a company that doesn't regard you. You don't have much say in that situation. I read this very recent news article of something happening in South Korea now and wanted to share my thoughts on that.

In South Korea, workplace bullying and harassment against migrant workers is rising and it's happening all over the world too.

The Government data shows that in 2020 there were 65 complaints from migrant workers about bullying, but by 2024 that number had jumped to 225. That was bad enough but in just the first five months of this year, there has already been 112 new complaints and the number of complaints will inevitably rise.

We see it as a statistics of people's complaints but it's real people being treated unfairly and there are times where it's violently.

There was a worker from Sri Lanka who was tied to cargo and lifted into the air by a forklift. The video of this incident went viral, and the president of South Korea called it intolerable violence. That video is on Instagram and Tiktok. I was shocked to see that and this is one testament of a wider problem of abuse that many migrant workers face every day.

Site for that

You could argue that they chose to move to another country to work, but regardless they're human beings and we're on one planet, people should be treated fairly regardless of whether they're immigrants or not.

I see that much of this problem comes from the Employment Permit System. That system allows South Korean companies to hire workers from other countries when they cannot find local employees to do that job. On paper, it fills a labor shortage, but in reality, it in a way traps the workers. Migrant employees under this system are tied to a single employer so that means if they experience harassment, wage theft or unsafe working conditions, they cannot simply leave and find another job which would be the reasonable way out. They're stuck.

That situation gives the employers excessive power over the migrant worker, which in turn leaves them vulnerable and with very few options.

Labor rights groups have been talking and warning about these problems for years. Amnesty International for example reported back in 2014 that the system contributes to exploitation, particularly in agriculture and it's been over ten years since that complaint, the system has not changed much.

Workers struggle but with migrant workers it's much harder. They're treated as disposable labor rather than human beings with rights.

Already they have inevitable problems to face, like language barriers, limited knowledge of legal protections and social isolation. All of which makes it easier for employers to exploit them.

Like I said earlier on, this is not only a problem in South Korea, around the world, migrant workers are usually the most exploited from what I know. From farmworkers in the United States to construction workers in the Middle East.

I watch videos of migrant workers in the middle East, the luxury areas, and I see how much they're suffering to keep up. Again, I get the fact that they signed up for the job but they could be treated better than this.

This abuse of many migrant workers is a clear example of how systems of power allow employers to control vulnerable employees and also keep their wages low. If you'll send me through pain at least make the money worth it, but they choose to deny them of both money and some rights, like safety and at least dignity.

When companies have the power to lock people into jobs and control their lives, it sets a dangerous example for everyone, some people will see this and say I want to build a company in the future so I can lord over some people.

Thankfully though, the South Korean government has promised reforms and is carrying out crackdowns on workplace abuse, but the real solution will come when migrant workers are given real freedom to leave abusive jobs otherwise all they can do is rant and the problem will continue.

The original site I read this news from

Screenshot of human rights activist calling for better living conditions for migrant workers

Screenshot taken from this source, not my own