Welcome to BASE21

By Jeong Gue-sun, President of the Association for Foreign Workers' Human Rights in Pusan

One month has already passed since the 'Voluntary Reporting Program and Amnesty for undocumented migrant workers' commenced on March 25, under the 'Total policy for protection against over stayers' of the Ministry of Justice.
When the Ministry of Justice announced this 'Voluntary Reporting Program', they made a lot of noise about it. But they faced serious opposition and demonstrations from Chinese-Koreans and other migrant workers because of short term staying for departure and deportation guarantee papers from employers, etc. Then they changed some parts of the program. For example, workers can now register without deportation guarantee papers from employers. The government is now trying to help migrant workers if the problem is not due to the workers responsibility such as the cases of the companies bankruptcy.
Migrant workers are strongly against the program because it is only a deportation program and does not address the real issues, like abolishing the Trainee System and brokers exploiting the entry process. Many bosses in 3D industries, who find it impossible to operate without migrant workers, are also against this 'Voluntary Reporting Program' because there is no solution to the empty factories after March 31, 2003.
The MOJ said they would prepare a new foreign labour policy this coming June and legislate it this year, which will start next March. The 'Voluntary Reporting Program' is just a lead up to this process, which is just all talk at the moment.
Now, migrant workers are unable to stop worrying. If they do not register, how can they get through the arresting period after the World Cup? If they do register, they are only allowed to stay here short term until March 31, 2003, which has its problems because they cannot move to another company. It is a headache for migrant workers.
The best way to solve the problem of having over 260,000 undocumented migrant workers is to enact a new system and to abolish the Trainee System, putting an end to the problem of high entry fees paid by migrant workers, halting migrant workers step for their homes. A register program will see all undocumented migrant workers given legal status and to be applied new system. If these two issues are not solved, undocumented migrant workers problems will not be resolved. Therefore, migrant workers have to fight to have a better system enacted and to be applied for themselves even register or not continually.
Without essential changes to the system, the Korean governments policy cannot does not alter the reality of the Korean labour structure and is creating more problems for the unsatisfied labour market. I press the Korean government to not use temporary policies, like this 'Voluntary Reporting Program', but to give legal status as labourers to all migrant workers and enact a new system fast.
** I am sorry for my long absence. I was visiting Pakistani and Afghan refugee camps. Thanks so much to my Pakistani friends for all their help during my tour.