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One-fourth of migrants say they have experienced discrimination, according to new survey

Published: 28 Jan. 2026, 17:00

Migrant workers are seen on their way to work in Ansan, Gyeonggi on July 29, 2025. Ansan has the highest population of immigrants in Korea, with 108,000 immigrants in the city as of 2023. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Migrant workers in Korea remain vulnerable to workplace harassment and discrimination, trapped in a system that discourages complaints and ties their legal status to their employers, according to case studies and a new survey.

Koy Davy, a Cambodian national, came to Korea four years ago with high hopes after being hired by an auto parts manufacturer in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang. But what awaited him was not opportunity — it was abuse.

The company’s CEO routinely hurled verbal abuse at Koy. Whenever even a small misunderstanding occurred due to his limited Korean skills, insults followed.

Unable to endure the treatment, Koy visited the Gimhae Employment Support Center — part of the Ministry of Employment and Labor — just two months after starting the job, saying, “I can’t keep working here.”

But things got worse. His repeated visits to the center were discovered by people at the company. After that, he was ostracized.

On June 30 of 2022 — a day under a heat wave advisory — the CEO told Koy to leave the company. He was dismissed in the middle of the workday and walked alone nearly 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) back to the dormitory.

The Korea Migrant Foundation's logo is seen at the foundation's offices in Gwangju, Gyeonggi [KIM JEONG-JAE]

The worst, however, was yet to come. Video footage obtained by the JoongAng Ilbo through the Korea Migrant Labor Foundation shows a car following Koy as he walked away.

In the video, a man in the car yells at him: “Hey! Want a ride, you stupid [expletive]?” and “Just go home!”

Ahn Dae-hwan, director of the Korea Migrant Foundation, confirmed that the person shouting was the company’s CEO.

“We filed a workplace harassment complaint and criminal charges against them,” Ahn said.

The CEO, who continued to verbally abuse Koy even after their paths crossed again, was prosecuted and fined on Sept. 18 last year for charges including verbal abuse and intimidation.

A total of 25.2 percent of 6,000 immigrant respondents said they had experienced discrimination in Korea, according to a survey conducted by the Migrant Research & Training Centre under the Ministry of Justice.

The most common setting for discrimination was the workplace, at 45.4 percent — similar to Koy’s case. When asked the reason, 67.1 percent cited nationality, followed by Korean language ability at 43.8 percent and appearance at 27 percent.

But few formally raised objections. Among those who reported experiencing discrimination, only 21.9 percent said they asked for the issue to be addressed.

The most common reason for not speaking up was “not wanting to cause trouble,” cited by 43.2 percent. Another 27.5 percent said they believed that “nothing would change even if they did.”

A migrant worker is seen tied with plastic wrapping to a forklift at a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla, on Feb. 26, 2025, in this screenshot from a video obtained by a migrant worker network in Gwangju. [YONHAP]

“When migrant workers raise concerns about workplace harassment or wage theft, many employers respond with threats — saying they’ll report them as undocumented or send them back home,” said Kim Dal-seong, head of the Pocheon Migrant Workers Center. “Workers are heavily dependent on employers, who have all the power, so it’s extremely rare for workers to speak up.”

There was brief national attention regarding the issue last February, after video emerged showing a migrant worker at a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla, being tied with plastic and moved by forklift. President Lee Jae Myung commented on the case, and some support followed — but experts said it was “a rare exception.”

One proposed solution is easing restrictions on changing workplaces. Under the government's employment permit system, workers can only switch jobs under limited conditions such as unpaid wages, workplace shutdown or industrial injury.

“To help stabilize the status of migrant workers facing discrimination, contracts should be signed on a yearly basis for the first three years, with the government conducting interim reviews,” Ahn said. “From the third year onward, if the worker has no criminal record and is deemed diligent, more autonomy — such as the ability to change workplaces — should be granted.”

The migrant worker union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hold a rally at a public square in Jongno District, central Seoul, to call for easing restrictions on changing workplaces for migrant workers on April 27, 2025. [NEWS1]

Others point to the need for better information exchange between workers and employers.

“The level of information provided to migrant workers about the companies they’re assigned to is far too low,” said Cho Hyuk-jin, a research fellow at the Korea Labor Institute. “On the flip side, employers are usually given only basic information as well — like height and weight.

“There needs to be a better system for mutual information exchange,” he added, “such as more online interviews and introductory videos about the workplace.”

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 KIM JEONG-JAE, SON SUNG-BAE, JUN YUL, LEE YOUNG-KEUN [[email protected]]