Migrant Worker Television Turns One
By Tim Murray
Contributing Writer

Members of the multi-ethnic band Bijili play at a party celebrating the first anniversary of Migrant Worker Television on May 1.
/Courtesy of Migrant Worker TV  
When somebody mentions ``foreigners’’ in Korea, they are often referring to Canadians, Americans and other Westerners who come here to enjoy a taste of a different culture, decent wages and the cheap lifestyle Korea offers. Not so many people are aware of the 500,000 migrant workers here from South Asia and the struggles they currently face.
Koreans, Bangladeshis, Nepalese, Canadians, Filipinos, Americans, Mongolians and a variety of other nationalities came together on Saturday night in Hongdae to celebrate the first anniversary of Migrant Worker Television, which shows news and programs relating to migrant worker issues in several languages.

The crowd crammed into a cozy venue to enjoy a feast of food and music from around the world. But there were also serious issues behind the festivities.

The estimated 180,000 undocumented migrant workers in Korea have been facing a ``crackdown” from the government to deport them back to their home countries. Scores of deaths have occurred as workers, desperate to avoid deportation, are killed when they are chased or commit suicide.

Many at Saturday’s event were urging the government to address the underlying causes of illegal employment in Korea rather than focusing on the pursuit of undocumented workers.

The major cause campaigners point to is the industrial training and employment permit systems. Chat, a factory worker from the Philippines, explained that currently ``migrant workers legally employed in Korea are only allowed to stay for three years, and have no power to change their place of employment.’’

Workers come to Korea having been promised well paid jobs and the opportunity to help their families out of poverty, only to find when they get here that they are underpaid, overworked and frequently abused, yet with no way to change jobs.

Chat went on, ``Some people are beaten, even raped, but they can’t legally find another job, so they run away and work illegally.’’ Thus campaigners are asking that the government address the poor working conditions and powerlessness that workers face, suggesting that this would also be a more effective way of cutting down on illegal employment.

Chat also wished people would begin to recognize the real need that Korea has for migrant workers. ``We do the jobs Koreans don’t want, the DDD (dirty, dangerous and difficult) jobs, so we aren’t stealing jobs from anyone, but play a key role in the economy.’’

When talking about immigration problems, inevitably the issue of xenophobia, racism and monoculturalism also comes up. Song Jung-sub, a Korean volunteer at the event, told me why she was there. ``I think there’s a lot of nationalism in Korea, and foreigners who aren’t western have a bad image even though it’s not accurate, so I want to help change that way of thinking.’’

I asked Lee Byung-han, co-president of MWTV what he thought the underlying cause of the problems were, and he also pointed out that ``Koreans see themselves as monocultural and pure…and perceive migrant workers as a challenge to this.’’

However, Lee went on to suggest that issues of ``pure-blood’’ and xenophobia actually covered-up the real reasons for the problems that migrant workers face, which are fundamentally economic ones. ``The pure-blood argument hides the economic reasons…employers want to employ these workers outside the boundaries of legal protection and civil rights by making them trainees as it is much cheaper.’’

Given all the problems, many at the party were surprisingly upbeat about the future, Lee went on to say ``I’m very hopeful about the future…although we have a very short history of immigration and multiculturalism in Korea, civil society is taking a really active interest in this issue and this is just the beginning of the movement.’’

It was clear from looking round the party that this is not just a migrant-worker concern, Korean workers who feel disenfranchised by an unequal labor system are also heavily involved.

Chat from the Philippines was keen to emphasize his positive experiences in Korea. ``We are bonding with Korean workers, and Korea has a really nice culture, I especially love young people who respect their elders!’’

The continued success of MWTV, which some only expected to last a matter of months, is seen as a symbol of the strength of the movement. Lee explained its significance, ``Mainstream media only talked about migrant workers from a Korean point of view, without listening to the people themselves, now they have a real voice.’’

You can watch MWTV through RTV, a channel listed on the SkyLife satellite television network. For more information, visit its Internet site at www.mwtv.or.kr or call (02) 6366-0621.



timmuzza@gmail.com

05-02-2006 20:20  
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/special/200605/kt2006050220210467670.htm