Korea's rights body urges safer undocumented migrant crackdowns after Daegu death

Fishermen and foreign workers shake anchovies from fishing nets in Gijang County, Busan, March 9. Yonhap

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea urged authorities to take stronger safety measures when planning crackdowns on undocumented migrants, citing concerns over possible clashes during enforcement operations.

The commission said Friday it recommended to Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho in January that enforcement plans include measures to block access to areas prone to falls or other accidents. It also called for immigration officer ID cards — currently worn on lanyards, which can be grabbed or snagged — to be redesigned in a form and material that better protects the physical safety of both officers and foreign nationals subject to enforcement.

Authorities have faced repeated criticism over heavy-handed enforcement tactics. Last October, Tu Anh, a 25-year-old Vietnamese, was found dead after falling from a building while hiding from immigration officers during a crackdown at an industrial complex in Daegu.

In a separate case in 2024, an unidentified complainant alleged that immigration officers raided a restaurant without presenting documents or identifying themselves to the owner. The officers also allegedly failed to read the Miranda rights — the legal right to remain silent and seek counsel, forcibly held a foreign national who was due to leave the country and punched and handcuffed a legally staying foreign national during the operation.

Authorities claimed the allegations were unfounded, telling the rights watchdog that the foreign national claiming to have registered for voluntary departure failed to provide supporting documentation. The legally staying foreign national, they said, had approached officers with a beer bottle, grabbing uniforms and obstructing the operation.

The commission dismissed the complaint for lack of evidence but issued a separate opinion acknowledging the likelihood of physical resistance and accidental confrontations during such crackdowns.

According to the Ministry of Justice, there were 397,522 undocumented migrants in Korea as of 2024. Confirmed dispositions for immigration law violations reached 139,727 cases, including forced deportation, charges and fines.