South Korea 'false promise land' for illegal Thai workers
Illegal workers visit the Immigration Office in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, in 2003 on the first day of a registration period for illegal aliens wishing to extend their stay. / Korea Times file
By Ko Dong-hwan
Thais prefer South Korea as the best place to work overseas illegally, but for many Korea has become “a false promise land” for aliens and sex workers from the Southeast Asian country.
Thailand’s employment department said more than 1,100 Thais tried to enter Korea without a valid visa last year, according to the Bangkok Post, Friday. Most did not acquire a legal working visa as recommended by the Thai government, but instead turned to employment agencies.
The next most-popular countries for illegal Thai workers were Malaysia, Bahrain, Russia and Qatar, employment department chief Anurak Tossarat said Thursday.
Thai ambassador to South Korea Saran Charoensuwan revealed last year that the number of Thai workers coming to Korea had doubled in the previous three years. He said the Thais were “attracted by high salaries that can amount to 30,000 baht ($930) a month.”
Most Thais also chose South Korea because the punishment for working illegally is not severe. Illegal workers are merely sent home and blacklisted in Korea.
Charoensuwan said about half of the 100,000 Thais living in Korea were working illegally, mostly on farms.
Thailand’s department of special investigation also said many Thai women had been forced into prostitution in Korea. The department said criminal rings lured the women with promises of high pay, welfare benefits and accommodation in return for offering “traditional” Thai massage.