South Korea to intensify labour inspections to tackle rights violations against migrant workers

Seoul, Aug 8 The Labour Ministry of South Korea announced Friday it will step up labour inspections to address concerns about human rights violations against migrant workers, including a three-week special reporting period for rights violations involving migrant workers.

The latest move comes following public outrage over a video showing a Sri Lankan migrant worker being lifted while bound to a forklift at a brick factory in Naju, about 280 kilometres south of Seoul.

From August 11 to 29, the ministry will conduct intensive inspections of workplaces that employ large numbers of foreign workers, focusing on rural areas with poor conditions.

Starting August 20, it will also designate every Wednesday as a special reporting and counseling day. Labour attorneys and interpreters will be stationed at employment centres to provide one-stop services to assist the labourers in filing complaints, Yonhap news agency reported.

The ministry said it will send text messages to all employers and workers to guide them on how to seek counseling and file complaints on any rights violations.

Earlier in the day, Labour Minister Kim Young-hoon visited a farm in Wanju, North Jeolla Province, to inspect the working conditions amid a heat wave and to hear directly from foreign workers about their challenges.

"Promoting the labour rights of foreign workers without discrimination is one of the most urgent tasks in our society, and any form of human rights abuse, such as harassment and violence, cannot be tolerated under any circumstances," Kim said. "We will come up with comprehensive measures to protect the rights of foreign workers and eliminate discrimination against them."

President Lee Jae Myung pledged stern actions against any mistreatment of foreign workers as he shared the video of the Sri Lankan worker on his Facebook page last month.

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