INTERVIEW 'Lifeline for migrant workers in Korea' - Rev. Kim fights for foreign employees' rights
Rev. Kim Dal-sung, right, head of the Pocheon Migrant Workers Center, listens to migrant workers speaking on mistreatment they face at their workplaces, during the Koinonia program at the center in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 28. Korea Times photo by Cho Hye-yoon
POCHEON, Gyeonggi Province — "You see, that kind of corrupt behavior is not tolerated in Korea. But migrant workers who aren't familiar with the Korean language can easily get intimidated. That's why if you befriend Pocheon Migrant Workers Center, you won't be cheated. Ahmed, I assure you your boss won't be able to sue you," Rev. Kim Dal-sung, head of the Pocheon Migrant Workers Centers, told Ahmed, a Bangladeshi worker who goes by his first name, during a special consultation he organized for migrant workers in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 28.
"I was so close to having a stroke but my boss did not call the ambulance," Ahmed who refused to disclose his actual name said. The two were talking about a head injury Ahmed sustained at an arboretum where he used to work.
"If Ahmed's colleague had not escorted him to a nearby hospital, he would've missed the golden time," Kim, 68, recalled.
With the help of Kim, Ahmed successfully claimed compensation for the workplace accident.
The consultation session was a part of the monthly "Koinoia" program organized by Kim, with Koinoia meaning fellowship and unity in Christianity. Both Koreans and migrant workers meet at a workers' dormitory for dinner once a month. Residents of the dormitory cook food from their home countries and Koreans bring gifts in return. The program started in 2019.
"The goal of Koinoia is to invite Korean natives into the lived realities of migrant workers. We talk together and exchange thoughts. Nowadays, we open it to the public every fourth weekend," Kim told The Korea Times in a recent interview. The consultations usually takes place over dinner but on Oct. 28, it took place at his center.
Koinoia is only a part of what he does for migrant workers.
Kim helps migrant workers file documents for workplace accidents and compensation, accompanies injured workers to occupational hospitals and monitors the working conditions for agricultural workers who often stay in makeshift dormitories without proper heating. At night, he is often on the phone giving advice to workers.
His service and dedication are well-known among migrant workers in Pocheon, and those who live farther away reach out to him for help. On Oct. 28, he was visited by migrant workers residing as far away as Anseong and Ansan in southern Gyeonggi Province and Guro District in Seoul.
Rev. Kim Dal-sung, right row back, head of the Pocheon Migrant Workers Center, poses with Korean participants and migrant workers before sharing a meal together for the Koinoia program in this undated photo. Courtesy of Pocheon Migrant Workers Center
From med school dropout to labor activist
Kim believes it was God's calling for him to advocate for labor rights.
"During my sophomore year of medical school at Chungnam National University, I went to a church and first learned about Jesus' ministerial work. A son of God, who had the highest status of all, served the marginalized of the marginalized," he recalled, adding he thought working as a Christian minister could be more meaningful than working as a medical doctor.
Shortly after, he dropped out of the school and transferred to a Methodist theological seminary. And it was during his senior year when he interned at a workers' church in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, that his yearning to serve those in need grew bigger.
"That church was so different. The pastor was wearing a jumper. The congregation consisted of workers who had been injured in workplace accidents, those who had been unfairly fired and laborers who were fighting for unpaid wages. I saw the new church there," Kim recalled, adding that he envisioned himself doing the same.
In the winter of 1979, Kim got a job at Guro Industrial Complex. "I thought if I wanted to do the ministry that serves workers, I should at least experience labor firsthand," he said. Kim worked at an optical company in the complex which had 3,000 workers.
After graduation, he started his ministry work for the poor and laborers in Seoul's Sadang-dong and Bongcheon-dong, and Juan Industrial Complex in Incheon. He settled in Pocheon in 2011.
Arriving in Pocheon, the number of migrant workers in the city shocked him. "When I went downtown on weekends, I thought I was in Southeast Asia. And in 2018, I decided to focus my ministry work on migrant workers," he said.
"There, I saw countless migrant workers suffering from workplace injuries, but they weren't aware of the compensation and insurance system they could benefit from. Even if they knew of it, they didn't know how to apply for it. So I visited them like a friend, checked up on them and helped them claim compensation."
Kim has a lot to say about problems with the Employment Permit System (EPS). Under the EPS, workers who arrive in Korea and work on the E-9 non-specialized work visa are not allowed to extend their visa or change their workplaces without the consent of their employers.
"For example, when migrant workers work for three years, they are given the opportunity to extend their stay by one year and 10 months. The employer's permission is required. If they work for four years and 10 months, they are given the opportunity to leave the country for one month for vacation and return for up to another four years and 10 months. Again, they need a signature from the employer," Kim explained.
"This creates a viscious cycle. EPS limits workers' ability to file complaints about workplace accidents because they fear antagonizing their employers, losing their jobs and thereby losing their legal status to work in Korea."
According to the 2022 Employment and Labor White Paper published by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the number of workplace accidents among foreign workers rose more than 20 percent between 2017 and 2021.
Yet, Kim doesn't oppose the EPS system entirely. He argues there needs to be reforms to be made within the system to protect migrant workers' rights to safety and job security.
"I demand that the subordinate relationship be abolished and an equal relationship be established, including guaranteeing workers' freedom to change workplaces without needing their employers' consent," he said.
"One last thing I'd like to add is that Korea's migration policy has perceived migrant workers as readily available, disposable laborers. We need a paradigm shift in migration policy: Treat migrant workers as humans and make laws and policies accordingly."
A migrant worker walks with crutches after a workplace accident in this undated photo. Courtesy of Kim Dal-sung
Those who have received help from Kim call him a "lifeline."
"I worked for a metal factory in Anseong and got industrial lung disease from iron dust. The only safety equipment I got was a fabric mask. With the help of Kim, I was able to file compensation," Ajit Roy, 36, said.
"I've never seen a person like Rev. Kim in Korea. Perhaps he is even better than parental figures. He takes on so much responsibility, but receives no commission whatsoever. He answers his phone even after midnight. He fought for me when my company responded with intimidation, threatening to withdraw my insurance. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be able to get treatment while waiting for the result."
Cho Hye-yoon (hyeyoon.cho@mail.mcgill.ca) was a Korea Times intern.