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Shameless companies embezzle trainees wages.

Recently, many undocumented workers have registered through the 'Voluntary Reporting Program' conducted by the Korean government. A part of them became undocumented workers by the way of leaving their training company or through long-term illegal stay.

Because it is common practice for training companies to confiscate a trainee's ID card, in case that trainee leaves the company, they are reported to the Immigration Office and passports are kept there.

After registering within the voluntary reporting period, trainees who left their training company are able to get back their passports and check up on bank accounts opened by the company.

In the situation that a training company detains ID cards and bankbooks, trainees are usually only aware of the bank name. Accordingly, they feel anxious about the deposit, added to regularly and saved from the result of over 12 hours hard work every day, and if it still exists or if somebody has withdrawn it from the bank, without their knowing.

FWR has handled the following 'Foreign Trainee's deposit embezzlement' cases:

⊙ Case 1: 'The deposit is already given to trainee's friend' - Shameless company denied embezzlement
Nguyen Tien Cuong came from Vietnam as a trainee to the Kwang My대ng Ink Co. Ltd., located in Sa Ha Gu, Busan on July 23, 1998 and opened a bank account at the Shin Pyeong Branch of the Industrial Bank. Nagyen quit working in Kwang My대ng Ink on May 10, 2000 and became an illegal stayer.

Responding to MOJ's voluntary reporting program, he took back his passport from the Busan Immigration Office and went to the Industrial Bank to check up on his bank account. However, he discovered that the account had been closed on May 22, 2000 and a total of 2,919,641 Won had been withdrawn.

The company's manager asserted that the money had been paid to Nguyen's friend, even after they said it was not true. The FWR counsellor presented a petition to the Busan Local Labour Office accusing the company of delayed wages. The manager was found guilty of embezzlement and was prosecuted at the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. The Financial Supervisory Service also prosecuted the Industrial Bank because they closed Nguyen's account without his permission and cooperated with the company to embezzle the money.

⊙ Case 2: That was a penalty for breach of contract?

Chosunjok, Kim S대ng-ae, qualifying as a trainee in a local corporation, entered Korea on May 23, 1997 and worked in Woo Yang Trading Co. Ltd., located in Haeundaegu, Busan. Even though the company is registered as a Local

Corporation, to be admitted into Korea she paid a large amount of commission, reaching the Chinese equivalent of eight million Won.
The company opened a cheque account for her at the Kookmin Bank, but confiscated her bankbook and ID card. After a while, she decided to leave the company because of low wages and confined herself on Jan 23, 1998.

Recently, she got her passport back by registering with the Voluntary Reporting Program, but when she enquired about her money at the Kookmin Banks Joonang branch, she found out that 2,507,000 Won had been withdrawn at the Anlakdong branch on February 12, 1998. She complained about it to the company, but they passed the problem on to another person and later threatened her by saying, "Didn't you know that the person left the company must pay for the default? Do you want to pay your penalty or give up the wages?"

After that, the company promised to give her the money when the time came for her departure, but Kim Sung-ae doesn't believe it anymore. She is presently taking civil action against the company.
Although foreign industrial trainees work in dirty, dangerous and difficult jobs, for small companies, where nobody else wants to work and are forced work 12-14 hours a day, with minimum wages, shameless Korean companies embezzle their money and double their pain. As long as training companies don't change their thinking that a trainees money is for the trainees own spending, there's no room for foreign labourers human rights in Korea society.