"An individual who was arrested for assault and wage theft is currently serving as a council member."

In 2014, the recent situation of a person known as the 'Salt Farm Slave Abuser', who assaulted employees and defaulted on wages amounting to 60 million won, is shocking.

Reportedly, he was arrested for past employee assault and wage defaulting but was released on probation, and he is currently serving as a council member of Sinan County.

During the broadcast of SBS's 'Discovery of Exclusive Cases' on the 15th, lawyers Kim Jong-cheol and Choi Jung-kyu criticized that "most offenders at that time did not receive actual sentences, leading to a repeated cycle of labor exploitation."

Lawyer Kim pointed out, "Following the forced labor incident at the salt farm that became known in 2014, similar cases of victimization occurred again in 2021," adding, "The reason the problem has not disappeared is clear: the offenders have not been properly punished."

Out of 36 people, only 1 received a prison sentence… Offenders have returned to public office while victims are re-exploited.

According to lawyer Kim, out of the 36 salt farm operators indicted for alleged forced labor in 2014, only one received a prison sentence. That individual was sentenced to just 1 year and 2 months in prison. The rest were mostly given probation or were not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence.

In particular, Mr. A, a former salt farm operator, was arrested for proposing an annual salary of 4 million won to a worker with an IQ of 79, defaulting on wages of about 60 million won, and assaulting him. He was sentenced to 1 year in prison with a 3-year probation and was released.

Since then, he has won elections in 2018 and 2022 and continues to serve as a council member of Sinan County. He is reported to currently hold the highest wealth (6.71854 billion won) among public officials in Jeollanam-do.

Lawyer Kim stated, "Most victims do not receive systematic protection from the state, which forces them into even more precarious situations or back to the salt farms."

"Corporations do not take responsibility… Structural neglect continues."

Criticism also followed regarding the structural responsibilities for labor exploitation. Lawyer Kim pointed out, "Large salt farm companies divide the salt farms and sign rental contracts with ‘salt managers’, who then hire workers again," noting, "Under this subcontracting structure, the top corporations do not take any responsibility for forced labor."

He emphasized that "there is no legal mechanism to hold corporations accountable for human rights violations occurring within the supply chain in Korea."

Lawyer Choi Jung-kyu also stressed, "This case is not merely about wage theft; it is a severe human rights violation that has completely destroyed a person's life," adding, "The fact that this issue has not been resolved even after 10 years serves as a significant warning to our society."

Image sources: unrelated material photo / gettyimagesbank, material photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank