Activists from migrant rights organizations across the country held a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on December 18, International Migrants Day, and called for the guarantee of migrants' rights to work, housing and health. Reporter Moon Jae-won

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A migrant worker who fled the civil war in Yemen to South Korea was severely injured when his leg was amputated in an accident while working.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has launched an investigation into the company.

According to the ministry, on December 18, the GoyangDistrict Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor is investigating a waste disposal company, Insun ENT, and its CEO, Mr. Lee and Mr. Kim, on charges of violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act. Insun ENT is an affiliate of construction company IS Dongseo and is engaged in the construction waste treatment business in Goyang City, Gyeonggi-do.

Mr. A, a native of Yemen, had an accident at around 10:20 p.m. on July 11 at Insun ENT’s workplace. He was clearing soil near a conveyor belt for intermediate treatment of construction waste when his leg got stuck in the side of the conveyor belt. He quickly pulled his leg out, but his right leg was amputated above the knee.

He was working alone on the work site at the time and left unattended but was found by an excavator operator and taken to the hospital.

Mr. A entered South Korea in July 2017 on a student visa. He later applied for refugee status but was denied and granted a humanitarian stay permit (G-1-6). Mr. A's home country, Yemen, has been engaged in a civil war since 2014 that has resulted in many deaths and a devastated economy. Since December 2019, Mr. A has been working for the Insun ENTand sending money home to his family in Yemen.

Mr. A's family claims that the accident occurred because the company did not properly manage safety. According to the work site video that Mr. A took to send to the person in charge before the work, there was no safety cover (protective cover) installed on the side of the conveyor belt.

The Industrial Safety and Health Act stipulates that a cover must be installed if the prime mover, belt, chain, etc. could endanger workers. There was also no emergency stop device to stop the operation.

“The protective covers were all in place, so I don't know why they were left open,” said an Insegae Entity official. “The emergency stop device was also installed, and these aspects were fully explained in the police investigation.”

Mr. A sued the corporation and its representatives for violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act. Two representatives were sued for professional negligence under the criminal law. However, the police in charge did not sendthe case with representatives for prosecution while sendingthe case with a factory manager for the prosecution. An official from the Ilsan East Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said, “We didn’t send the representatives because they were found to have delegated safety management tasks to the factory manager.”

Mr. A claimed that the police's decision not to send them was inappropriate. In the case of CEO Kim, he was in charge of the company's safety and health management and had established and signed the safety and health management policy himself, but the investigative agency did not consider securing safety and health measures to be his duty.

“The company promised me many things, such as bringing my family to Korea, but they did not keep any of their promises after the accident,” said Mr. A. “I need not just financial compensation but also psychological and moral support to rebuild my life and recognition of my value as a human being.”



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