Police in South Korea have moved swiftly to formally book a factory owner suspected of injuring a migrant worker by spraying compressed air into his body, just one day after forming a dedicated investigation team.
The Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency's regional investigation unit announced Wednesday that it had booked a man in his 60s, identified only as "A," the owner of a plating factory in Hyangnam-eup, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province, on assault charges and imposed a travel ban.
Police had formed the dedicated investigation team the previous day given the seriousness of the case. They immediately took statements from the victim, a Thai worker in his 40s identified as "B," conducted an on-site investigation, and then designated A as a formal suspect.
A is accused of approaching B while he was working bent over a workbench at the factory on February 20 this year, pressing an air gun against his anal area, and spraying high-pressure air, causing serious injury. The blast caused B's abdomen to rapidly swell, resulting in internal organ damage and respiratory distress that required emergency surgery.
The victim entered South Korea in 2011 on an E-9 employment permit visa, but his stay expired in July 2020, leaving him in undocumented status.
Police plan to summon A for questioning soon to intensively investigate whether the act was intentional and the specific circumstances of the incident.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor has also launched a joint inspection covering industrial safety and labor standards. The ministry is conducting an on-site investigation at the workplace jointly with the Gyeonggi Regional Employment and Labor Office, closely examining potential violations of labor laws including assault against foreign workers, workplace harassment, and unpaid wages, as well as violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act.
The Ministry of Justice announced it will verify the harm through an investigation by the Immigrant Rights Protection Task Force under the Immigration and Foreign Policy Headquarters, and provide support including stable residency status for the victim. The ministry also plans to investigate the employer for potential violations of immigration law, including illegal employment.
President Lee Jae-myung instructed police and the labor ministry the previous day to conduct a thorough investigation. "Violence and discrimination against migrant workers, who are socially vulnerable, are serious crimes that can never be tolerated," Lee said, calling for proactive measures by relevant agencies and a review of the current state of human rights violations against migrant workers.