'Korean Dream' Turns into Nightmare

"The sweet promise that I can learn welding technology and get a job at a shipyard in Korea." With these words, Vietnamese youth gathered a significant amount of money equivalent to 4-5 years' salary and boarded a flight to Korea.

However, what awaited them was a reality that was far removed from their dreams.

According to SBS on the 22nd, two Vietnamese youths in their 20s, who revealed their experiences of labor exploitation in Korea, recently visited the police station to file a complaint against the officials of a vocational training facility that deceived them and subjected them to labor exploitation.

A local study abroad agency in Vietnam promised them a bright future in Korea.

Believing they could learn welding skills and get jobs in shipyards, they paid nearly 20 million won in total for various fees, including tuition, dormitory fees, and exit guarantees.

For them, 20 million won is a considerable amount of money.

Victim A stated to SBS, "It's a huge amount for us. It's money that could take us 4-5 years to earn."

A Reality Turned into a Nightmare

However, their hopes soon turned into nightmares. The first place they arrived at, led by a broker, was a vocational school in Gimhae.

The facilities were poor, and they could not find proper training.

They were sent to a factory in Mokpo in just three months.

Another victim, B, lamented, "It was my first time, and there was no one to help me, and I didn't know Korean, so it was tough." They were thrown into dangerous work environments without receiving proper training.

This clearly violated the guidelines under the training visa, which allows for on-site training only after a stay of 6 months.

Despite not receiving proper safety training, they were put into the workplace and often ended up getting injured.

Even more seriously, the promised monthly salary of 2-3 million won was not properly paid.

When they pleaded to return to school for training, all they received in response was threats.

A claimed he was threatened with visa extension documents and couldn't escape even if he wanted to.

In the conversations he had with officials from the vocational school, there were clear threats such as "If you leave the site, we will cancel your visa" and "We will sue you for obstructing business."

They even paid an additional 4 million won, which was demanded for visa extension, but their visas were not renewed.

Ultimately, those who escaped from the factory sought help from domestic activists and requested relief from the Central Victims Protection Agency under the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which officially recognized them as victims of human trafficking due to labor exploitation.

It is reported that this is the first time that victims of human trafficking have been recognized in the shipbuilding industry.

SBS made several requests for clarification from the vocational school but received no response.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that seven other Vietnamese trainees who entered the country with them are also preparing to seek relief.

This incident vividly reveals the institutional loopholes related to the treatment of foreign workers in Korea.

Thorough investigations into labor exploitation and human rights violations perpetrated under the guise of technical training, along with urgent institutional reforms to prevent recurrence, seem necessary.

Naver TV 'SBS News'

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