"Migrant Workers in South Korea Face Staggering Unpaid Wage Arrears,"

A significant number of migrant workers in South Korea have experienced wage theft, with the average amount owed surpassing 6 million won according to a recent government study.

... It surveyed 379 migrant workers who were employed or had worked in South Korea within the past year.

The findings revealed that the average number of instances of wage theft was 1.09 per worker, with the average amount of unpaid wages reaching 6.63 million won.

The most common range of unpaid wages was between 1 million and 3 million won (34.4 percent), followed by 5 million to 10 million won (28.8 percent), and 3 million to 5 million won (17 percent). Alarmingly, 1.2 percent of respondents reported being owed more than 50 million won.

Despite requesting the payment of their owed wages, 32.2 percent of the migrant workers surveyed said they had not received any compensation. Only 30.9 percent reported receiving the full amount owed, while 34.8 percent received partial payment.

The vast majority (79.9 percent) of the migrant workers had filed complaints with relevant government agencies, such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor or the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, in an attempt to recover their unpaid wages.

However, they faced significant challenges throughout the process, including language barriers and a lack of understanding of South Korean labor laws...