Welcome to BASE21

By Yoon Jae Hoon
Migrant worker's center in Suwon

Looking back on the year 2000, I was very much confused about so many things. I quit my job and decided to work at the migrant worker's center in Suwon. When I was first offered the position, I guess I wasn't very serious about the position. I easily picked up the work, but my ideas about this new work didn't last long.
To make me more aware of the position and what was involved I was sent on a six day field trip to Sungnam and Ansan. Meeting strange people was a little bit frightening and gave me a throbbing heart, especially foreigners who's problems were strange to me. The phone rang all the time, with people calling about payment delay, industrial disaster, international marriage, children's education, etc. I went back to Suwon with pastor Park Chon-ung's words about remembering my first decision to do this kind of work.
Since then, six months have passed. I've handled 24 cases of payment delay, 1 for industrial disaster, 1 regarding international marriage, 2 trainee deposit cases and 3 cases of support of medical care applications to our center. However, half of the cases are left unsettled. I do my best but sometimes I feel powerlessness. I need to ask for advise, although it was the same delayed payment problem. For the industrial disaster case, I thought it was solved but without the person's passport we couldn't open a bank account. The result being that the application was rejected.
Suspicious circumstances, such as torture, are taking a long time in administrative litigation because we failed to judge exactly whether it can be solved legally or if it needs practical conduct. I am in hot haste all the time when cases are unpredictable.
This is a rookie's shameful gibbering. I ask myself why I am doing this work and what I would like to do with it. From my short time in the position and limited experience, I have found migrant workers problems are not only solved by simple advise and help for them. My first decision is still valid and it draws me to meet them and wait for their calls. They complain about people who take advantage of their legal statue and lack of human respect. These problems happen because of unequal relationships among people and the social system failing to notice and keeping silent.
I confess, I have been feeling lost lately. The social system hasn't changed anything. The same thing happens all the time and I run and run to solve the situation. I wanted to join the assembly but never find any time to leave the office. The principle of Suwon - Freedom, Equality, and Human Rights, must be protected. I will be able to shout our slogan at Myoungdong with my migrant friends if I keep this principle and be faithful to my daily life.