Korea honors Filipino worker killed in factory explosion
Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service President Park Seung-heup lays flowers during a memorial service at Incheon International Airport, Thursday, for a Filipino worker who died in a factory explosion in Cheonan on Aug. 28. Courtesy of K-COMWEL
Korea has honored a Filipino worker killed in August in a factory explosion, marking the third case under its initiative to support bereaved migrant workers’ families here.
The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (K-COMWEL), a government agency responsible for administering industrial accident insurance, said Friday that it had helped the family of the worker bring his remains back to the Philippines.
The worker, identified by the agency as Jisrael, died Aug. 28 in an explosion and fire at a factory manufacturing paint ingredients in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.
“He worked diligently for his family, even in unfamiliar surroundings, living a life marked by a deep sense of responsibility and devotion,” K-COMWEL President Park Seung-heup said in a letter presented at the memorial service held at Incheon International Airport on Thursday. “K-COMWEL and the Republic of Korea will never forget his dedicated efforts and the legacy he leaves behind. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Park then presented the bereaved family with a consolation payment from the agency’s social contribution fund and saw them off as they accompanied the worker’s remains home. Rosemarie G. Duquez, a labor attache at the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, also attended the service to offer condolences.
To help the family members navigate language barriers and unfamiliar procedures, agency officials provided guidance on industrial accident compensation from the time they arrived here and assisted with funeral arrangements, repatriation of the worker’s remains and their departure.
The initiative began in March. Its first two memorial services honored a Vietnamese worker killed at a gravel factory in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, and a Myanmar employee killed at a railway construction site in Asan, South Chungcheong Province.
Park pledged continued efforts to ensure that migrant workers and their families are treated with respect.
“All workers, regardless of nationality, should be able to count on the protection of a social safety net when they need it,” he said. “As a social safety net that protects workers, we will continue to do our best to make sure that all workers, including migrant workers, and their families are treated with respect.”