Ministry of Justice Arrests Two Filipino Domestic Workers for Unauthorized Leaving of Accommodation

Two Filipino domestic workers who left their accommodation without permission last month were apprehended in Busan on the 4th.

On the same day afternoon, the Ministry of Justice announced, "The Immigration Special Investigation Unit of the Busan Immigration Office under the Ministry of Justice jointly arrested two Filipino domestic workers who had left without permission on September 15th at a lodging facility in Yeonje-gu, Busan, together with the police."

On August 6th, Filipino workers participating in the pilot project for foreign domestic workers were arriving through Incheon International Airport. [Airport Photojournalists]

The Ministry of Justice added, "Since the incident occurred, the Immigration Special Investigation Unit has maintained a cooperative system with the police and other related agencies to secure the whereabouts of the individuals, and confirmed that the aforementioned persons were illegally employed," further stating, "The apprehended Filipino domestic workers will be investigated and then deported according to relevant laws."

Earlier, the two lost contact after leaving their accommodation in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 15th of last month during the Chuseok holiday.

They entered the country on August 6th, when the pilot project for foreign domestic workers was implemented, and left their accommodation without permission about two weeks after starting work at a household in Seoul on the 3rd of last month.

The service provider was informed three days later by the group leader of a group of 10 domestic workers that two members were unreachable, and confirmed their departure around 8 p.m. on the 15th through closed-circuit television (CCTV), notifying the Seoul city government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

According to current law, employers who hire foreign workers under the Employment Permit System (E-9) must report employment changes to the relevant Employment and Labor Office if the workers are absent without valid reason for more than five business days.

The company confirmed that the workers did not return by the final deadline and filed a foreign employment change report regarding the unauthorized departure with the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the afternoon of the 26th of the same month.