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South Korea Launches Emergency Inspection at Naju Factory Over Migrant Worker Abuse

National outrage prompted the labor ministry to expand preventive inspections to protect foreign workers following the president’s condemnation of the forklift-bound abuse

This image, captured from an OhmyNews video clip on July 24, 2025, shows a migrant worker from Sri Lanka tied to a forklift load at a factory in the southeastern city of Naju. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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Overview

  • The labor ministry has launched an emergency inspection at the Naju brick factory and police have opened a probe into possible labor rights breaches and criminal violations revealed by the viral footage
  • President Lee Jae Myung condemned the forklift-bound mistreatment as an intolerable human rights violation, demanding accountability for those responsible
  • The Jeonnam Migrant Workers’ Human Rights Network released a 58-second video on July 23 and held a press conference to demand a full investigation and punishment for those involved
  • The Sri Lankan worker reports lingering trauma, including persistent headaches, months after being bound to bricks and hoisted by a forklift under the E-9 visa system
  • Minister Kim Young-hoon announced plans to strengthen preventive inspections of workplaces employing foreign labor to curb systemic abuse and discrimination