'Tied to Forklift and Mocked'... Migrant Worker Faces Risk of Forced Deportation

A video showing a migrant worker in Naju, Jeonnam being tied up with brick products and lifted by a forklift has been released, causing controversy. Provided by Jeonnam Migrant Workers Human Rights Network.

A migrant worker from Naju, South Jeolla Province, who left his workplace after suffering workplace bullying by colleagues, now faces the risk of being forcibly deported if he fails to find a new job within 90 days.

According to the Gwangju-Jeonnam Migrant Workers Human Rights Network and the Jeonnam Labor Rights Center on July 25, a 31-year-old Sri Lankan national, referred to as A, submitted an application to change his workplace at the Naju Employment Welfare Center on July 23.

A entered Korea in December of last year under the Employment Permit System (E-9), which allows him to legally stay and work in the country for up to three years. However, if he does not secure employment at a new workplace within 90 days, he will lose his residency status and be subject to forced deportation under the Immigration Control Act and related laws.

If A remains in Korea without valid status, he will become an undocumented migrant worker. If caught in a Ministry of Justice crackdown, he will be forcibly expelled. Changing workplaces requires the employer's consent, but according to the Jeonnam Labor Rights Center, A had a meeting with the company following the recent human rights abuse incident and obtained the employer's consent.

A representative from the Jeonnam Labor Rights Center stated, "Although the migrant worker is not at fault and applied for a workplace change due to a social problem that occurred within the company, if he fails to secure new employment within 90 days, he cannot maintain his residency status," adding, "The current law does not protect the labor rights of migrant workers at all."

Previously, on February 26, A was subjected to human rights abuses at a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla Province, where he was tied to a pile of bricks and lifted by a forklift. When video footage of the incident was made public, there was widespread public outrage. President Lee Jaemyung also pointed out, "This is intolerable violence against minorities and the vulnerable, and a clear violation of human rights."