Serfs always have it hard…

South Korea has initiated an inspection of the working conditions of Uzbek citizens employed at shipbuilding facilities. The investigation stems from complaints about contract terms stipulating a fine of $2,000 for each month of work for a different employer without written permission from the Uzbek side.

These Uzbek citizens arrived in South Korea on E-9 visas as part of a specialized employment program in the shipbuilding industry. Before leaving Uzbekistan, they signed agreements with the Foreign Labor Migration Agency (FLAMA).

According to these agreements, workers are not allowed to change employers independently. This requires written consent from the FLAMA representative office in South Korea. Violating this condition entails a fine of $2,000 for each month of work for a different employer. Penalties also apply for illegal presence in the country and refusal to comply with the employer's legal requirements.

The problem has been particularly acute among Uzbek workers at shipyards in Ulsan. According to them, after being laid off or laid off, they were not always able to find new work due to the threat of fines.

The situation escalated after the death of a 26-year-old Uzbek citizen at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan. According to the South Korean publication Pressian, the man died in an industrial accident on July 18. His colleagues claim he had previously suffered injuries, was afraid to continue working at the shipyard, and wanted to transfer to another company, but encountered difficulties changing employers.

Two days after the incident, Nurmatjon Komilov, head of the Korean office of the Agency for Foreign Labor Migration, met with more than 100 Uzbek workers. They demanded a review of their employment agreements and described cases in which, they said, fines were imposed even after their dismissal from subcontractors.

The Agency explained that changing employers is possible in certain cases. Specifically, this is permitted during a shutdown or downtime of the plant, as well as in the presence of confirmed medical indications. The department stated that such agreements are related, among other things, to the issue of Uzbek citizens illegally staying in South Korea.

South Korean authorities have expressed interest in the situation. The country's Ministry of Employment and Labor, together with the Uzbek Embassy, has launched an investigation into the working conditions of Uzbek migrants. The South Korean Ministry of Labor and Social Protection stated that further investigation is needed from an international legal perspective.

The South Korean Ministry of Gender Equality and Family also stated that such conditions may constitute signs of human trafficking.

At the same time, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries stated that it was not involved in concluding agreements with workers or establishing fines. The company also denied that its consent was required to release the worker from such obligations.

Earlier, a major fraudulent scheme involving the promise of employment in South Korea was foiled in Tashkent. Two suspects demanded $55,000 from a man, promising, through alleged high-ranking contacts, to arrange work for him and obtain a residence permit.