Death of Foreign Worker at Yeongam Pig Farm... Farm Owner Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison

Assault, Threats, and 250 Million Won in Unpaid Wages Revealed
Human Rights Groups: "Slap-on-the-Wrist Verdict, Recurrence Inevitable Without Systemic Reform"

The owner of a pig farm in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, who habitually assaulted foreign workers, has been sentenced to prison. However, human rights organizations have strongly protested, calling the punishment a "slap on the wrist."

According to the Jeonnam Migrant Workers Human Rights Network on August 20, the Gwangju District Court Mokpo Branch sentenced Mr. A (43), a livestock business owner in Yeongam County who was indicted and detained on charges including habitual assault of employees (violation of the Labor Standards Act), to two years in prison and a fine of 1 million won. Mr. B, a manager of Nepalese nationality who was indicted on the same charges, received an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Gwangju District Court Mokpo Branch Building.

From June last year to February this year, Mr. A and others repeatedly assaulted and threatened foreign workers at the farm. Under threats such as "I will kick you out," the workplace turned into a prison, and ultimately, a Nepalese worker took his own life in February. During the investigation, it was also revealed that approximately 250 million won in wages had been withheld.

The Jeonnam Migrant Workers Human Rights Network condemned the verdict in a statement, calling it "a slap-on-the-wrist acquittal for perpetrators who drove a worker to death." The organization criticized, "A two-year prison sentence for the owner is absurdly light compared to the loss of life, and the 1 million won fine is an insulting ruling that reduces the victim's death to a mere sum of money. The suspended sentence given to the team leader is, in effect, nothing more than a warning not to do it again."

The group further stated, "This case is not simply an individual’s misconduct, but rather the result of the violence, humiliation, discrimination, and human rights abuses that migrant workers routinely endure in the agriculture, livestock, and manufacturing industries. Unless current systems such as the Employment Permit System, which restricts freedom to change workplaces, are improved, further deaths will continue to occur."

The organization also announced that it would push for harsher sentences for the perpetrators through an appeal. It emphasized, "A comprehensive investigation into workplace harassment and strong administrative and criminal sanctions are needed in industrial sectors where migrant workers are concentrated, such as agriculture and livestock. The structure that gives employers absolute power must be changed, and workers must be guaranteed practical rights to report and seek redress."

* If you are struggling with depression or have concerns that are difficult to talk about, or if you have family or acquaintances experiencing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through the suicide prevention hotline ☎109 or the suicide prevention SNS counseling service 'Madeleine.'