Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor is moving to revoke the foreign worker employment permit from a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla Province, in response to revelations of severe human rights abuse in which a Sri Lankan worker was tied to a load of bricks by his co-workers and hoisted into the air by a forklift.

The ministry plans to impose the strictest penalty available under the labor law, banning the business from hiring migrant workers for up to three years.

The ministry also vowed to intensify its investigation, focusing on workplace harassment, wage violations and breaches of industrial safety law. Inspection will extend to worker living conditions, compliance with employment regulations regarding migrant workers and the condition of provided dormitories…

On Feb. 26, a 31-year-old Sri Lankan national was bullied by his Korean colleagues while tied to a load of bricks with plastic wrap and being lifted by a forklift.

He entered Korea in December under the E-9 visa employment program, which permits a three-year stay for nonprofessional migrant workers. After the incident, he left the housing provided by the company and reportedly moved between temporary accommodations…

the police have since indicted the forklift operator, a Korean man in his 50s, without detention on charges of unlawful confinement and assault…