A shocking video depicting a Sri Lankan migrant worker tied to a forklift and paraded around a factory yard in South Jeolla Province has ignited widespread outrage across South Korea.
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| Sri Lankan worker tied to a forklift at a brick factory in Naju, South Korea |
Released on July 24th by a migrant worker human rights network in South Jeolla Province, the video, filmed in February at a brick factory in Naju, shows the man wrapped in plastic film and bound to a stack of bricks on a forklift. The forklift, driven by a South Korean national, is then seen moving around the factory yard amidst loud laughter, with no one intervening to assist the man. According to the human rights network, one individual even berated the bound worker, demanding an apology from him.
Activist Mun Gil-ju identified the man in the video as a 31-year-old Sri Lankan national. He reportedly endured this "punishment" for approximately five minutes because the forklift driver was dissatisfied with his work performance. In a television interview on July 24th, the worker expressed significant mental distress and suffering following the incident.
The factory manager stated they were informed the incident was merely a "joke." However, Mun vehemently emphasized that "tying a person with plastic film" cannot be dismissed as a joke.
On July 24th, around 20 activists gathered in front of Naju City Hall, demanding that authorities hold those responsible accountable. Local newspaper Kukmin Ilbo described the event as a "shameful incident" that highlights the treatment of migrant workers in South Korea.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung condemned the act in a Facebook post, saying,
After watching the video, I couldn't believe my eyes. It is an unacceptable act that violates the human rights of minorities.
During a cabinet meeting, President Lee further condemned the treatment of the Sri Lankan worker, expressing serious concern about the country's international image. He ordered various ministries to investigate the working conditions of migrant workers and other minority groups in South Korea, urging them to find practical measures to end all forms of abuse.
The Naju brick factory employs approximately 24 workers, with seven from East Timor and Sri Lanka, and the remainder being South Korean. According to Naju officials, the Sri Lankan worker in the video is reportedly still employed at the factory.
The Ministry of Labor in South Korea has announced it will launch an investigation into the factory and its treatment of foreign workers, acknowledging the incident as evidence of poor treatment of migrant workers in some South Korean workplaces.
Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, primarily from Southeast Asia and China, undertake low-wage or hazardous jobs in South Korean factories, farms, construction sites, and other sectors. In 2024, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea reported a worrying trend: the proportion of occupational accident deaths among migrant workers increased from 7% to 12.2% between 2010 and 2019. A 2024 research report commissioned by the agency also revealed that migrant workers are three times more likely to die from industrial accidents compared to South Korean workers.
Video showing a migrant worker abuse sparks outrage in South Korea
📚 Learn Korean Through This News
Korean text:
"전남 나주의 한 벽돌 제조 공장에서 한국인 노동자들이 이주 노동자를 지게차에 비닐로 묶어 들어 올리며 괴롭히는 영상이 공개돼 파문이 일고 있다. 외국인 노동자에 대한 인권 유린이라는 비판이 제기되면서 이재명 대통령도 공개적으로 “약자에 대한 용납할 수 없는 폭력”이라고 했다."
Key Vocabulary:
- 전남 나주 – Naju, Jeollanam-do
- 벽돌 – brick
- 제조 공장 – manufacturing factory
- 한국인 노동자 – Korean worker
- 이주 노동자 – migrant worker
- 지게차 – forklift
- 비닐 – plastic (wrap)
- 묶다 – to tie
- 들어 올리다 – to lift up
- 괴롭히다 – to harass, to bully
- 영상 – video
- 공개되다 – to be made public
- 파문 – public outcry, stir, scandal
- 인권 유린 – human rights violation
- 비판 – criticism
- 제기되다 – to be raised (as an issue)
- 공개적으로 – publicly
- 약자 – the weak, vulnerable people
- 용납할 수 없는 – intolerable, unacceptable
- 폭력 – violence
English Translation:
A video showing Korean workers tying a migrant worker with plastic and lifting him with a forklift at a brick factory in Naju, Jeollanam-do has caused public outrage. As criticism grew over the human rights abuse of foreign workers, President Lee Jae-myung also publicly stated that it was “intolerable violence against the vulnerable.”
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