Government Launches Four-Week Crackdown on Unpaid Wages and Workplace Abuse Among Foreign Workers

Strategic Insights -

With the latest shocking video and multiple reports of unpaid wages and workplace abuse emerging, the government is stepping up efforts to protect vulnerable noncitizen laborers. The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to conduct a four-week intensive inspection at 'high-risk' farms and factories, targeting businesses that employ large numbers of migrant workers. This move follows previous inspections in the first half of this year and comes in the wake of a viral video showing a foreign worker being tied to a stack of bricks and suspended from a forklift, sparking public outrage and condemnation from President Lee Jae Myung.

Key Takeaways:

  • The government will launch a four-week intensive crackdown on 'high-risk' farms and factories, targeting businesses that employ large numbers of migrant workers.
  • The inspection will focus on overdue wages, which have soared over the past year, reaching 85.5 billion won ($61.3 million) as of June, a 51 percent increase from the same period last year.
  • Inspectors will also cover other rights abuse cases such as workplace bullying and sexual violence, areas where foreign employees are often disproportionately affected.
  • Interviews and surveys will be conducted in 17 languages to ensure accurate and sensitive communication with foreign employees.
  • The ministry has launched campaigns promoting fair and safe labor practices, distributed educational leaflets in 17 languages, and established hotlines with the National Police Agency to improve communication in handling abuse cases involving foreign workers.
  • Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon has vowed to "root out labor rights violations against foreign workers simply because they are not Korean nationals" and establish an integrated support system for all such workers.
  • The Seoul Metropolitan Government is conducting its own survey to improve the labor conditions of noncitizen workers, who account for about 22 percent of some 4,500 employees working at city-commissioned construction sites.
  • The number of foreign workers in Korea's domestic construction industry increased by approximately 33 percent since 2020, reflecting a growing reliance on foreign labor.

Statistics:

  • 85.5 billion won ($61.3 million) - the total amount of unpaid wages owed to foreign workers as of June, a 51 percent increase from the same period last year.
  • 17 languages - the languages in which interviews and surveys will be conducted to ensure accurate and sensitive communication with foreign employees.
  • 20 provinces - the provinces where inspections will take place, including Gangwon and the Jeolla provinces.
  • 45 worksites - the additional worksites that will be inspected, mostly farms in Gangwon and the Jeolla provinces.
  • 4,500 employees - the total number of employees working at city-commissioned construction sites in the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
  • 22 percent - the percentage of noncitizen workers among the 4,500 employees working at city-commissioned construction sites in the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Sources:

  • Ministry of Employment and Labor
  • Yonhap News Agency
  • Korea Herald
  • The Korea Times