Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Immigration raids spark rural labor crisis
A farmer speaks during a protest against a government crackdown on undocumented migrant workers in Changnyeong in South Gyeongsang Province, May 12. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
Authorities ease crackdown after nabbing over 5,000 in April: ministry
When presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung visited Changnyeong, a small county with some 55,000 residents in South Gyeongsang Province on May 10, representatives of its farmers used the opportunity to convey their single most urgent request: Stop the ongoing crackdown on undocumented migrant workers.
On April 14, five government ministries and agencies launched a crackdown on undocumented foreign workers ― a campaign that is set to continue through June 29. Criminals and those who threaten the livelihood of citizens are among the main targets, according to immigration officials. But for many citizens, especially farmers in rural regions, the effects are not what was hoped for.
“Many farmers here say their livelihood is now under threat because they can no longer find workers after the beginning of the crackdown,” said Sung Bo-kyung, head of an emergency committee formed in Changnyeong over the issue. “It is a very serious problem. If farmers fail to remove garlic scapes between around April 10 to May 10, their crops for this year will be ruined.”
This localized crisis in Changnyeong underscores a broader national paradox, where efforts to enforce immigration laws are inadvertently undermining the livelihoods of Korean citizens in labor-intensive agricultural sectors. The farmers' desperate plea highlights the deep dependency of rural economies on migrant workers, presenting a complex challenge.
The problem extends nationwide, with similar labor issues disrupting harvests from Gyeonggi Province to Jeju Island, according to advocacy groups including the International Migrants Alliance and Migrant Forum in Asia.
Garlic farming in Changnyeong, the biggest producer of garlic in Korea, accounts for a major portion of its economy, and relies heavily on labor provided by migrant workers.
“After a few were detained by immigration officers, most foreigners here have disappeared. We did not know they were staying here illegally. Besides, amid shortages of workers, we do not have the luxury of hiring only those with visas. … There are simply not enough people to work,” Sung said.
In an effort to help those farmers, Changnyeong’s council members unanimously adopted a resolution at May 15 meeting urging the Ministry of Justice to suspend its crackdown on unregistered migrants during the busy farming season and come up with a more “flexible” way to manage them.
Farmers in Changnyeong are not alone in voicing this view. Many across the country say they, too, struggle with growing labor shortages, with some local officials publicly calling for the ministry to change its long-held negative stance against undocumented foreign residents.
Park Jung-hyun, head of Buyeo, a county in South Chungcheong Province, told reporters last month that there should be a “more flexible approach” to handling undocumented workers. He was the first elected public official to openly oppose the government’s catch-and-deport policy. The approach is not realistic, given that more than half of foreign workers employed in Buyeo are believed to be undocumented, county officials said in their analysis.
As an alternative, county officials say they plan to propose a policy introducing a self-reporting system, whereby immigration officers will not detain undocumented migrants who provide information voluntarily about where they live and work. This suggestion will be discussed at the next meeting of the National Association of Mayors in Korea, a group of local government leaders.
This Jan. 27 photo shows a foreign worker inside a greenhouse in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon
In a statement sent to The Korea Times, the ministry said it apprehended 5,159 foreign nationals staying illegally in April alone. In the first four months this year, it said 17,188 were detained.
But after receiving complaints from many farmers about the crackdown being enforced during the busy season, the ministry said officials recently reduced their intensity.
“We’re aware of the severity of labor shortages in rural areas during the agricultural season, and have refrained from full-scale crackdowns as much as possible, considering the shortage of workers during the sowing and harvesting season, and has selectively conducted minimal crackdowns,” the ministry said. “We will continue to consider the circumstances of farmers and fishermen and will support them with other ministries in addressing their issues such as labor shortages.”
The crackdown has also raised human rights concerns, with activists accusing immigration officers of engaging in excessive and inhumane methods to detain undocumented foreigners and saying many workers are injured as they scramble to flee. On March 26, a woman from Ethiopia was severely injured while trying to run away from immigration officers.
Thanks to the justice ministry’s recent decision to reduce its crackdown intensity, the labor situation in Buyeo appears to have eased, according to a senior county official, Tuesday.
“But the same problem will appear repeatedly unless the country fundamentally reforms its immigration system, including how to manage undocumented migrants,” the official said.