Published: 02 Sep. 2025, 19:16

A Sri Lankan worker is tied to bricks and moved by a forklift at a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla on July 23. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A Sri Lankan worker is tied to bricks and moved by a forklift at a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla on July 23. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
A Sri Lankan migrant worker who was subjected to abuse earlier this year when he was lifted and moved by a forklift along with a pile of bricks has started work at a new factory in South Jeolla.
 
The Jeonnam Contingent Workers Center said Tuesday that the 31-year-old worker began his new job Monday at a local factory. The worker told the center he wished to continue working in the province, where the civic groups that supported him are based.
 
 
The worker is still receiving medical treatment for injuries caused by the abuse, but is able to perform his job duties, according to the center.
 
Moon Gil-joo, head of the center, said the worker “expressed his wish to remain in South Jeolla, where he received help from the center and the provincial government,” adding, “This case should serve as a reminder that human rights abuses against migrant workers must be eradicated.”
 
The worker entered Korea last December under the Employment Permit System (E-9 visa). In February, while working at a brick factory in Naju, he was subjected to abuse when colleagues tied him up and moved him with a forklift as if he were cargo.
 
The case drew national attention after President Lee Jae Myung referred to the incident in public and called for measures to prevent similar abuses. Police have referred three suspects — a Korean forklift driver and two foreign co-workers accused of aiding the act — to prosecutors on charges of aggravated assault.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]