Justice minister encourages undocumented foreigners to take COVID-19 tests
Justice Minister Park Beom-kye speaks during his visit to a manufacturing factory in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap
Justice Minister Park Beom-kye on Friday tried to encourage migrant workers to undergo coronavirus testing freely, reiterating that undocumented foreigners can also get tested without fears of crackdown.
He visited Ansan, an industrial city with a large expat population near Seoul, to inspect workplace conditions, coronavirus testing and government support systems for foreign residents.
"There are so-called illegal immigrants among foreign workers, and if they hide for fear of crackdown, it would contribute to the spread of COVID-19," he said during a visit to a manufacturing factory in the city.
"The officials conduct tests without verifying visas or referring their identity (to law enforcement), so I would like to encourage them to come to screening centers and get tested," he said.
His inspection came amid controversy over some local governments' policies of requiring all migrant workers to undergo coronavirus testing.
The measures were taken in response to growing cluster infections in vulnerable workplaces employing foreigners but faced a raft of accusations of discrimination. The city of Seoul withdrew the order last Friday. (Yonhap)