Workers conned into illegal employment in South Korea<\/p>\n
SEOUL (JP): Hundreds of Indonesian laborers have been tricked
\ninto working here instead of being given the technical training
\nthat they were promised.<\/p>\n
\"There are about 700 Indonesian workers in Korea. They came
\nhere to learn a skill or join other job-related programs, but
\nmost of them found themselves as common laborers in factories,\"
\nsaid Indonesian Ambassador for South Korea M. Singgih
\nHadipranowo.<\/p>\n
He made the announcement here over the weekend after the
\ninauguration of the Dharma Wanita (Civil Servantss Wives
\nOrganization) at the embassy.<\/p>\n
According to the ambassador, the workers were brought to Korea
\nby certain people who disguised them as apprentices or trainees.<\/p>\n
\"I advise those who want to work abroad to demand a clear
\nexplanation on their rights and duties. I know that there are
\nforeigners in Indonesia who want to take advantage of them,\"
\nSinggih said.<\/p>\n
He did not elaborate on whether they were paid well or if they
\nreceived any protection from the local authorities in spite of
\ntheir illegal status.<\/p>\n
He said that now that Korean people are earning higher
\nsalaries, they no longer want to handle certain jobs they
\ndescribe as \"the three Ds\", meaning work that is dirty, difficult
\nor dangerous.<\/p>\n
\"That's why they bring in many foreign laborers, even though
\nit is illegal to 'import' workers,\" said Singgih.<\/p>\n
The foreign workers usually enter the country illegally,
\nmeaning that they are smuggled in.<\/p>\n
\"Difficulties may occur when they arrange to go home. For
\ninstance, they may earn about two million wons after working for
\ntwo years, but they should pay a fine of one million wons when
\nthe immigration office discovered that they have been staying
\nwithout a permit. Consequently, they may bring only one million
\nwons home,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Acknowledgement<\/p>\n
However, the South Korean government has acknowledged the
\nmatter and urged companies to promote foreign workers to live in
\nthe country legally, he said.<\/p>\n
Singgih said despite their illegal status the Indonesian
\nworkers actually admitted that they were happy working here.<\/p>\n
\"They told me so when I met with them and asked them about the
\nmatter in a halal bihalal gathering in March.\"<\/p>\n
Hadipranowo also said that many Koreans, on the other hand,
\nwish to work in Indonesia. They are now studying Bahasa Indonesia
\nfor their future.<\/p>\n
\"In Pusan University of Foreign Studies in Pusan, the second
\nlargest business city after Seoul, there have been 50 students
\nstudying Bahasa Indonesia or Malay each year for the last four
\nyears,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that when he asked why they were studying Indonesian,
\nthe students said that they wished to work in Indonesia because
\nthey felt that it was a promising job market. (icn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/workers-conned-into-illegal-employment-in-south-korea-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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