South Korea's Bata Bata Factory Imposed Sanctions In The Aftermath Of Harassment Against Foreign Workers

Illustration. (Pexels/Ekaterina Bolovtsova)

JAKARTA - Korea's Ministry of Manpower will revoke the work permit of foreign workers from a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla Province, in response to the disclosure of severe human rights abuses, in which a Sri Lankan worker was tied to a pile of bricks by his co-workers and lifted into the air with a forklift.

The ministry plans to impose the heaviest available sentence under the employment law, which prohibits the company from employing migrant workers for up to three years.

The ministry also pledged to intensify its investigations, focusing on workplace harassment, wage violations, and industry safety laws violations, reported by The Korea Times July 28.

Inspections will include the condition of workers' residences, compliance with labor regulations related to migrant workers, and the condition of the provided dormitories.

As previously reported, President Lee Jae-myung on Thursday denounced the abuse of foreign workers as "an unacceptable act of violence against minorities and vulnerable groups."

The inauguration took place on February 26, when a 31-year-old Sri Lankan national was intimidated by his Korean counterparts by being tied to a pile of bricks with plastic wrap and lifted with a forklift.

He entered Ginseng Country in December with a work visa program E-9, which allows a three-year stay for non-professional migrant workers.

After the incident, he left the housing provided by the company and reportedly moved temporary accommodation.

The ministry has accelerated approval for a workplace transfer, assigned a special agent to help him find a new job and avoided the risk of deportation for failing to find a job.

According to the Facebook page of the Governor of South Jeolla Province, Kim Yung-rok, on Saturday, a company with good working conditions agreed to hire him and the final decision would be made during a field visit on Monday. The new workplace offers language support and technical training.

Meanwhile, police have indicted the forklift operator, a Korean man in his 50s, without detention on charges of illegal detention and assault.

The inauguration came to the attention after a video released by the rights group of migrant workers went viral last week and sparked public outrage.

The video shows workers laughing and recording the incident, urging the man to apologize for no apparent reason.