A forklift driver in his 50s who tied a Sri Lankan migrant worker with plastic at a brick factory in South Jeolla and lifted the person with a forklift has received a suspended prison sentence. The case sparked public outrage after video of the incident was released.
According to legal sources on the 27th, Judge Seo Ji-hye of the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 4 sentenced forklift driver Jeong, 54, who was indicted on charges including special unlawful confinement, to one year in prison, suspended for two years. The court also ordered 180 hours of community service.
A corporation operating a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla, which was indicted together for neglecting to prevent human rights violations in the workplace, was fined 5 million won.
Jeong was brought to trial on charges of tying a Sri Lankan national worker A, 32, to a stack of bricks with industrial plastic at the brick factory on Feb. 26 last year, lifting the person with a forklift, and moving about 10 meters.
The investigation found Jeong committed the act because the victim's brick-packing work was deemed unskilled.
The court said, "The victim appears to have felt considerable humiliation and mental suffering," but noted, "We took into account that the defendant is reflecting on the crime and reached a settlement with the victim, who does not wish punishment."
The case became known when video of the crime scene at the time was released through a civic group supporting migrant workers. Criticism then spread online and in political circles, and President Lee Jae-myung also said on social media that there would be a firm response.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) conducted special inspections of business sites employing foreign workers after the incident, and the victim was reportedly reemployed at another factory in Gwangju with help from a civic group.