President Lee Jae-myung, on a state visit to the Philippines, had a surprise reunion on Sunday with Ariel Galak, a worker who lost his arm while working in South Korea.
As a human rights lawyer in 1992, Lee took up Galak's case after learning that the worker had been forcibly deported to the Philippines without compensation following a workplace accident. After a year-long appeal process, Lee helped Galak receive medical care approval and industrial accident compensation.
"President Lee had a surprise meeting with Filipino worker Ariel Galak, with whom he shares a special connection from the past," Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing.
At the meeting, Galak said, "I am honored and grateful that you remembered me and that we could meet. Although I had an accident, I have always had good memories of Korea, and I thank you for achieving a good outcome as my lawyer back then."
President Lee recalled the era, saying, "It was a time when forced deportation of injured foreign workers was common." He added, "After Mr. Galak's case, government policy changed so that compensation and treatment are now provided. You must have felt wronged, so I am grateful that you still hold good memories of Korea."
"Many Koreans also go abroad to work, and wherever and whenever they work, they have the same rights and freedoms," Lee said. "This was written in the Constitution, but we failed to uphold it. Thanks to Mr. Galak, those who came after him no longer suffer such injustice."
Upon hearing that Galak now volunteers to help neighbors going abroad as workers, the president offered encouragement. When told that Galak's daughter, who accompanied him, works as a customs broker, Lee said, "You raised her well." First Lady Kim Hye-kyung offered Galak watermelon juice she had prepared and wished him good health, according to the spokesperson.
President Lee presented Galak with his autobiography, which documents their connection, and took commemorative photos. In the book, Lee reflected on the day he wired the compensation to Galak: "Rather than feeling happy, my crooked arm ached more than usual that day, and I think I drank more than usual."
"As emphasized at yesterday's summit, the governments of Korea and the Philippines plan to further strengthen policy and institutional support so that people-to-people exchanges can be more active and citizens can stay safely in each other's countries," Kang added.