Owner of salt farm arrested for exploiting worker with intellectual disability
Published: 11 Nov. 2025, 16:28
Updated: 11 Nov. 2025, 16:53
![A worker organizes a salt farm in Shinan County, South Jeolla, on April 7. The image is unrelated to the story. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/dfe3445f-5a22-4a9f-9364-1bc47a4ac5f9.jpg)
A worker organizes a salt farm in Shinan County, South Jeolla, on April 7. The image is unrelated to the story. [YONHAP]
MOKPO, South Jeolla — The owner of a salt farm on an island in South Jeolla was arrested for exploiting a worker with an intellectual disability by working them without pay for over a decade.
The Mokpo branch of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office said Tuesday that it arrested a 59-year-old salt farm operator on charges of quasi-fraud and violations of the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities.
In Korea, quasi-fraud is when a person takes financial advantage of a minor or someone with an intellectual disability.
The perpetrator is accused of making a 65-year-old disabled person work at his salt farm in Shinan County, South Jeolla, from April 2014 to August 2024 without paying them roughly 96 million won ($66,000) in wages.
In August, the perpetrator was summarily indicted for violating labor law and received a fine of 3 million won with a one-year suspension. Prosecutors initially separated and filed charges related to the Labor Standards Act to meet the statute of limitations.
The victim’s case of forced labor came to light in 2023, when public outrage erupted over a series of so-called salt farm slavery cases in Shinan County. Following a county-wide investigation in response to the scandal, local authorities discovered the victim’s case and referred it to the police.
However, during the police investigation, the victim was not separated from the perpetrator’s family, prompting criticism. Police said they had “repeatedly tried to persuade the victim to undergo interviews at disability support facilities and receive medical care, but they adamantly refused both,” adding that “they also declined to move to a protective shelter. Whenever we called, the perpetrator would hang up, and the victim did not respond to text messages, making forced separation unfeasible.”
![A salt farm on Shinan County, South Jeolla. The image is unrelated to the story. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/4aae374e-e9a2-4244-8234-855126250a6d.jpg)
A salt farm on Shinan County, South Jeolla. The image is unrelated to the story. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Prosecutors also faced criticism for delaying their indictment of the perpetrator. Despite police referring him for indictment in June 2024, prosecutors did not move forward for over a year.
Civil and public interest groups called for a review by the Prosecution Review Board, a panel that allows outside experts and citizens to assess the legitimacy of prosecutorial decisions when prolonged delays occur.
Further controversy arose during the prosecution’s investigation when the victim was made to face the perpetrator in a joint interview without a legal guardian or support person present — a violation of the Ministry of Justice’s human rights protection guidelines, which mandate the presence of an assistant when victims with mental or physical disabilities are questioned.
Earlier this month, the victim’s legal representatives filed a petition with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, calling for disciplinary action over the violation.
“The prosecution's negligence in handling the case for over a year inflicted additional harm on the victim,” said the victim’s attorney, Choi Jeong-kyu. “Now that the court has taken the matter seriously, we hope the trial proceeds swiftly and fairly.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HWANG HEE-GYU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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