The head of a plating company in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, accused of firing an air gun at a migrant worker's anal area, offered the explanation that it was "just a prank."
According to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency's special investigation unit on Feb. 20, at a plating company in Hyangnam-eup, Manse-gu, Hwaseong, factory head A aimed an air gun and blasted high-pressure air toward the anus of B, a worker from Thailand who was working bent over at a workbench.
After high-pressure air was injected into the anus, B's abdomen swelled and showed signs of breathing difficulty, requiring emergency surgery at a hospital. The hospital diagnosis was "pneumoperitoneum" and rectal injury. Pneumoperitoneum refers to air accumulating in the abdominal cavity. B is said to be experiencing difficulties in daily life while wearing a colostomy bag on the abdomen.
A told JTBC reporters who visited the site, "I fired it," and said, "We were working together and I did it as a prank." In addition, A had another foreign employee stand up and even reenacted the situation at the time.
As the incident became known, the government also launched an investigation. Police formed a dedicated investigation team and began a full-scale probe. The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) also plans a joint labor and industrial safety inspection.
President Lee Jae-myung also said, "So that migrant workers injured at industrial worksites can remain in the country and receive hospital treatment regardless of their residency status, relevant agencies including the Ministry of Justice and the labor ministry should take proactive measures," adding, "Violence and discrimination against migrant workers, who are socially vulnerable, are serious crimes that can never be tolerated."