Family of late Vietnamese graduate demands gov’t apology over fatal immigration raid

Vu Van Sung, center, father of Tu Anh, holds a portrait of his daughter during a press conference in front of the presidential office in Seoul, Monday, to demand the government's apology over an immigration raid that resulted in her death in October. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Two months after a young Vietnamese woman fell to her death during a government immigration raid, her grieving father on Tuesday continued a relay of 108 bows in front of the presidential office in Seoul, demanding an official apology and the suspension of what advocates call "human-hunting" crackdowns on migrant workers.

The father of the late Tu Anh, 25, knelt before the fountain square near Cheong Wa Dae for a second consecutive day, joined by human rights activists urging the government to take responsibility for her death.

"I regret not stopping my daughter when she decided to study in Korea," said Vu Van Sung. "Her mother still trembles every evening around 6:30 — the time she died. It feels like her soul is still wandering, and we cannot find peace."

According to the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Committee for Justice for Tu Anh and the Network to Eliminate Discrimination against Migrant Workers, Tu Anh fell from a third-floor factory building in Daegu’s Seongseo Industrial Complex on Oct. 28 at around 6:30 p.m. while trying to avoid an immigration enforcement team. She was pronounced dead shortly after.

Officials had targeted the car parts manufacturing plant as part of a joint inspection to identify undocumented migrant workers. Tu Anh held a D-10 job-seeking visa, which allows internships but does not permit factory work of the kind she was doing.

Activists said she took the factory job to save money for a graduate school program after graduating from Keimyung University’s international commerce department earlier this year. "She came to Korea at 19 with dreams of building a future here," the committee said. "She died just two weeks after starting work to make that dream possible."

The group accused the Daegu Immigration Office under the Ministry of Justice of conducting a raid that incited fear among foreign workers. Officers reportedly shouted, "One man left, one more woman to go," as they searched the building, according to the group, based on witness testimonies and security camera footage placing enforcement vehicles at the scene until 6:43 p.m.

Vu Van Sung, third from left, father of Tu Anh, holds a press conference with labor activists in front of the presidential office in Seoul, Monday, to demand the government's apology over an immigration raid that resulted in her death in October. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The ministry maintains that officers followed legal procedures, claiming the operation ended before Tu Anh’s fatal fall. However, activists allege the ministry is shifting timelines and evading accountability.

Advocates added that Tu Anh’s death reflects flaws in Korea’s complex visa system, which attracts foreign students to local universities but restricts their employment options upon graduation. The government aims to recruit 300,000 international students by 2027, yet it traps them in legal gray zones that leave them vulnerable to exploitation, the group said.

They called for a full investigation, punishment for those responsible and an end to aggressive immigration crackdowns.

After the press conference, Tu Anh’s father, joined by activists and a Buddhist monk, resumed his 108 bows in silent protest outside the presidential office.

Amid public outrage, Rep. Yoon Jong-o of the minor opposition Progressive Party introduced a bill earlier this month to revise the Immigration Control Act to move Korea away from a "forced deportation first" framework toward a system that prioritizes voluntary departure orders. The proposal would make exit orders, rather than deportation, the default measure for most cases.

The revision also seeks to limit the forced deportation of minors, people with disabilities, those needing medical treatment, pregnant women and victims of crime, aligning Korea more closely with European Union standards that treat detention and forcible removal as a last resort.

"This case exemplifies the deadly cost of Korea’s immigration enforcement," said Kwon Young-gook, leader of the minor progressive Democratic Labor Party. "It was not personal misjudgment but a systemic failure … Since 2003, at least 33 migrant workers have died during raids," he said. "How many more lives must be lost before Korea ends this inhumane chase?"