By Shakh Al Mamun
I have heard that it is common for foreigners to suffer racism and discrimination in Korea.
But not many are aware that racism in Korea has a lower ground when it comes to migrant workers.
Some of my highly educated friends from Western countries believe that Korea is increasingly embracing people from various cultural backgrounds compared to the past decade.
But does this apply to all cultures and races in Korea?
In Aug. 17, 2005, Korea introduced the Employment Permit System (EPS) for migrant workers. The system included an MOU contract with 15 Asian countries and was designed to replace the Industrial Technique Training System that had been criticized for discriminating against migrant workers.
Korea currently holds more than 1.94 million foreigners residing inside its borders as of March 2016. This makes up 3.9 percent of the Korean population. Out of this foreigner population, approximately 640,000 are regarded available for labor.
Most westerners in the nation are classified as professional manpower and they count up to 48,600. Migrant workers, who are mostly unprofessional manpower and currently reside in Korea with an EPS visa, count over 266,000.
So how much have things changed for the majority of unprofessional foreign manpower since the EPS was introduced? Regrettably, not much.
The main reason is because the program gives migrant workers only a limited number of opportunities to change workplaces.
Although foreign workers are in some cases allowed to change their workplace, in accordance with 25th article of the EPS or with approval from the head of the company where they work, the program still allows these workers to chance jobs only three times in three years.
The EPS requires them to stay at a workplace for at least three months, even if they fall victims to violence, insults or overdue pay. To change jobs earlier than permitted, the migrant workers must file a complaint with the government and follow an approved process, which can take considerable time.
The government has changed the system so that foreign workers do not have the freedom to choose where to work.
This is hypocritical, because the government has criticized coerced labor to various extents, but still ignores the ordeals facing foreign workers. This is done to protect business owners’ interests.
Even the labor union for migrant workers took a decade before being acknowledged as a legal labor union after years of struggle in court.
The Korean government claims the country is becoming a racially and culturally diverse community. But I believe there is still a long way to go.
Nearly a decade has passed since the EPS was introduced. But many migrant workers are still shouting, “We are human!” “We are workers!” and “Please hear us.”
Shakh Al Mamun is the chief vice president of the Seoul Gyeonggi Incheon Migrant Trade Union. He has lived in Korea for over 18-years and also works as a short-film director. He can be reached at mamun97@naver.com.
This article was translated by Lee Han-soo, The Korea Times intern at its New Media Department.