Pig farm owner in Yeongam sentenced for abusing migrant workers
Published: 21 Aug. 2025, 10:19
Updated: 21 Aug. 2025, 16:32
![Gwangju District Court [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/21/25955aea-cc60-49a6-8553-0c61c1a832ef.jpg)
Gwangju District Court [NEWS1]
A pig farm owner in Yeongam County, South Jeolla, was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison and fined 1 million won ($715) for repeatedly assaulting foreign laborers and violating labor laws.
The Gwangju District Court handed down the ruling after finding the owner guilty of abuse and labor violations, according to the Jeonnam Migrant Workers Human Rights Network.
The court also sentenced the farm’s Nepalese manager to eight months in prison, suspended for two years.
Prosecutors said the two men assaulted and threatened to evict migrant workers between June last year and February. The case came to light after a Nepalese worker died by suicide in February following months of verbal and physical abuse.
Investigators also found the owner withheld about 250 million won in unpaid wages from dozens of workers.
“The punishment is far too lenient for a crime that cost someone’s life,” the Jeonnam Migrant Workers Human Rights Network said in a statement. “It sends the wrong message that violating migrant workers’ rights carries little consequence. Routine violence, insults and discrimination will continue unless the judiciary treats migrant workers’ lives with respect and society makes structural change.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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