Foreign Worker Dies While Fleeing After Early Morning Dispute Report

Death of Sri Lankan National in 20s, Police Investigation Underway

A foreign man in his 20s who was chased by the police after fighting with other foreigners was found dead. The police have launched an investigation, including an autopsy of the body.

According to Yonhap News on the 7th, the Gimpo Police Station in Gyeonggi reported that at around 2:20 a.m. that day, a foreign man was found collapsed and dead in an alley behind a building near the traditional market in Tongjin-eup, Gimpo City. The police arrived at the scene and confirmed that the man was Mr. A, a Sri Lankan national in his 20s. He was the person who had been chased by the police earlier that day.

Patrol car [Photo by Yonhap News TV]

Earlier, at around 12:08 a.m., the police responded to a report of "four foreigners fighting at the traditional market." Mr. A and others were involved in the fight, and when they fled to a private alley where access was restricted, the police reportedly stopped the pursuit.

After reviewing nearby security camera (CCTV) footage, the police believe that Mr. A died after hitting his chest on the edge of a steel plate while hastily fleeing through a dark alley. To determine the exact cause of death, the police have requested an autopsy of the body and DNA analysis of the steel plate from the National Forensic Service.

Mr. A was confirmed to be a legal resident authorized to stay in the country until mid-month and was working at a domestic factory. His companions told the police that "there was no serious fight, and none of us are undocumented, but we ran away because the police kept asking questions and it seemed annoying."

Meanwhile, as of last year, the number of migrant workers working in South Korea reached 975,000 (Statistics Korea, 2023 Immigrant Stay Status and Employment Survey). Adding the estimated 419,000 undocumented migrants (Immigration and Foreign Policy Statistics Monthly Report, March this year), some analyses suggest that the total number of migrant workers in South Korea is about 1.3 million.