"Migrant Worker Tied to Forklift and Abused for 'Lack of Skill'... Forklift Operator in His 50s Gets Suspended Sentence", 27 May 2026

A forklift operator who repeatedly committed acts of abuse, such as tying up a migrant worker with a pile of bricks using plastic sheeting and lifting him with a forklift due to his lack of work skills, received a suspended prison sentence in the appellate court.

On May 27, Judge Seo Ji-hye...sentenced Jeong (54), a forklift operator charged with special unlawful detention and violations of the Labor Standards Act, to one year in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered him to complete community service.

The brick manufacturing company in Naju, Jeollanam-do, where Jeong was employed and which was prosecuted alongside him for failing to prevent workplace harassment and for negligent management as an employer, was fined 5 million won...