The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) uncovered 1.7 billion won in unpaid wages owed to foreign workers. The ministry referred two business sites to prosecutors for violating the Labor Standards Act on allegations that they failed to comply with orders to remedy unpaid wages or assaulted foreign workers.
The ministry said on the 19th that it conducted intensive labor inspections in April and September on 196 business sites vulnerable in employing foreigners and found a total of 846 violations at 182 business sites.
First, nine business sites were found to have treated foreign workers discriminatorily. They denied regular bonuses, summer vacation allowances, and statutory paid annual leave to foreign workers, unlike Korean workers.
Some were also caught paying less than the statutory minimum or not paying wages at all, citing management difficulties. Unpaid wages occurred at 63% (123) of the business sites inspected this time, totaling 1.699 billion won.
The ministry also found 65 business sites that made foreign workers work long hours in excess of overtime limits and 22 that did not guarantee statutory breaks or days off. In addition, it detected cases that breached basic labor rules, such as violations of the minimum wage, failure to draft written labor contracts, and failure to issue pay statements, as well as violations of the Act on the Employment, Etc. of Foreign Workers, such as failure to enroll in insurance exclusive to foreigners and having workers provide labor outside business sites not specified in their labor contracts.
The ministry completed corrective measures for most business sites. However, it conducted investigations into two cases for violations of the Labor Standards Act and referred them to prosecutors with opinions for indictment.
One case involves Company A in South Chungcheong, where an on-site manager assaulted two foreign workers by hitting them on the head with a hand, saying, "You shouldn't get hurt when you have come all the way abroad to make money," and "Defects have occurred in the products." Another is Company B in Gangwon, which has failed to comply with an order to remedy more than 100 million won in unpaid wages owed to workers from Dec. 2024 to the present.
Kim Young-hoon, Minister of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), said, "We will continue to proactively guide and inspect business sites vulnerable in employing foreigners," and added, "We will pursue institutional improvements together with related ministries to strengthen relief for foreign workers and protect their rights and interests."