A letter from the Migrant Trade Union of South Korea asks for support and solidarity in face of repression and abuse wrought by the South Korean government, preparing to host the next G20 summit in November 2010.
Dear friends and allies
Migrants Trade Union (MTU) sends you warm greetings and solidarity. We are writing to inform you of very upsetting events taking place in South Korea and to ask for your support.
South Koreais currently preparing to host the G20 Summit in November. The government of Lee Myung-bak is using the upcoming event as an excuse to enforce policies that trample on basic democratic rights. In particular, the Lee administration is using the G20 Summit as a pretext for carrying out a massive crackdown against undocumented migrant workers currently residing in the country.
For many years now, migrant workers have worked in South Korea’s small and medium-size factories, playing an important role by supporting South Korean industry. Undocumented migrant workers, who have often lived in Korea longer than their documented colleagues, have become especially accustom to Korean culture and lived together with Korean citizens as part of Korean society.
Despite the fact that the Korean government brings thousands of migrantworkers to Korea to fill labor shortages in small and medium-size companies, it will not allow them to legally settle or invite their families to live with them. Refusing to sight the UN Convention on the Protect of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Family, which promises basic protections for migrant workers’ human rights, the South Korean government treats migrant workers only as cheap and disposable labor. The government’s sole policy towards undocumented migrant workers has been one of viscous raids, detention and deportation, which has lead to countless injuries and deaths. Every year, migrant workers lose their lives in the course of the government’s crackdown.
This year, the government is using the G20 Summit as an excuse to openly strengthening the policy of raids, detention and deportation. Since May, the police have been carrying out a ‘crackdown on foreigner crime’, stopping people on the street for no reason other than that they appear to be foreign. The government has said it plans to get rid of South Korea’s 180,000 undocumented migrant workers by the end of August.
In response, labor and social justice organizations are joining forces to oppose this anti-human rights, anti-labor policy, and carry out a united struggle to protect migrant workers’ rights.
We ask for your support and solidarity as we move forward with our struggle. Please send letters of protest to the South Korean government expressing your grave concern about its repression against migrant workers. A sample letter is attached for your reference.
Your solidarity is an important part of a wider effort to protect the rights of South Korea’s migrant workers. We will work hard to keep you informed of the situation here in Korea. We ask for your sincere attention and support.
Sincerely,
July 4th, 2010
You may fill in your organizations name and sign the letter below, or use it as reference to draft your own letter.
Please fax letters to: President Lee Myung-bak
Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea
Building 1, Gwacheon Government Complex,
Jungang-dong 1, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
Republicof Korea
Fax: 82-2-2110-3079
Commissioner of Korean Immigration Service
Fax: 82-2-500-9059, 82-2-500-9128, 82-2-500-9026
When you do so, please also send a copy to us a mtuintl@jinbo.net or
82-2-2269-6166 (fax)
<Sample Protest Letter>
We at *(fill in organization name) * wish to express our deep-felt anger and concern about South Korea’s policy towards undocumented migrant workers. It has come to our attention that your administration is pursuing a massive crackdown against South Korea’s 180,000 undocumented migrant workers in preparation for the G20 Summit to be held in November this year. While you seek to advance your country’s international standing by hosting the Summit, this blatant attack on basic rights only demonstrates the backwardness of your government and its stance towards migrants.
We are aware that migrant workers have played an important role in turning South Korea from a underdeveloped to a highly developed nation. Even now, migrant workers are supporting the Korean economy by filling labor shortages in small and medium-size companies.
In an age when migration is taking place around the globe, governments need new forward-looking policies on migrants. Recognizing this, many nations have signed the International Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families and are seeking to reduce discrimination against migrants. Some governments have provided pathways for undocumented migrants who have resided in their borders for a long time to settle and attain the same rights as nationals. This is because they recognize that even without legal visa status, these migrant and their families have contributed to and become part of the society in which they live. It is also because these government recognize that undocumented migrant workers play an important role in supporting national economies.
In comparison, the South Korean government’s policy towards migrant workers lags far behind international standards. Amnesty international has documented Amnesty International has documented and expressed concern about cases of, “arbitrary arrests, collective expulsions and violations of law enforcement
procedures, including in some cases, excessive use of force,” during raids by South Korean immigration officials and police. The international NGO has also noted that, *”mass crackdowns have… put pressure on detention facilities, contributing to**
**problems of overcrowding, poor living conditions and delayed access to medical**
** treatment”*(Amnesty International, *Disposable Labor: Rights of Migrant Workers in South Korea*, 33).
In his 2008 report to the Human Right Council, the UN Special Rapporteur noted that states *have, “the obligation to respect and protect the human rights of all those within its territory, nationals and non-nationals alike, regardless of mode of entry or migratory status” *(A/HRC/7/12, para 14). He also noted that a high degree of discretion given immigration authorities to detain migrants and the use of mass raids can lead to human rights violations and collective expulsion, which is illegal in international law (A/HRC/7/12, para 48-49). He recommended that states find alternatives to detention, as a means for avoiding the abuses undocumented migrants face (A/HRC/7/12, para 65).
We are gravely concerned that South Korea is doing nothing to address these issues and it instead, only strengthening policies which violate migrant workers rights. We therefore make the following demands:
1. That the South Korean government and, in particular the Ministry of Justice and the Immigration Service, immediately stop the viscous crackdown, which is threatening the human rights and very lives of migrant workers.
2. That the South Korean government stop using the goals of a successful G20 Summit and advancement of its international standing as an excuse to arrest and deport migrant workers, and instead put forth a realistic solution to the problems of undocumented migrant workers, such as a plan for legalization.
We will be keeping an eye on the measures the government implements with regard to migrant workers and the efforts it makes to protect their rights. We hope that you will do your best to put forth a positive policy concerning the rights of undocumented migrant workers and their families.
Sincerely,
