VOA慢速英语--外籍劳工死亡引发对韩国劳动政策的批评

In December, a 31-year-old Cambodian worker died at a farm near Pocheon, South Korea. The woman's death led to criticism of South Korea's foreign worker policies. The government has promised reforms, but it is unclear what will change.

Visit to Pocheon

More than two months after Nuon Sokkheng's death, South Korea announced this week plans to improve the situation for foreign or migrant farm workers. The plans include increased chances for health care. But officials chose not to ban the use of shipping¹ containers to house workers after strong opposition² from farmers.

Kim Dal-sung is a pastor³ and supporter of migrant workers' rights. But when he visited farms near Pocheon with Associated Press reporters, he described the area as "a world of lawlessness."

Kim is an unwelcome visitor to the area, especially after Sokkheng was found dead on December 20 inside a poorly heated shelter at one of the farms.

"Farm owners here are like absolute monarchs⁵ ruling over migrant workers," Kim said. "Some say they want to kill me."

One Korean farmer followed visiting reporters to prevent his foreign employees from talking to them.

Another shouted and waved her hand, stopping an interview with two Cambodian workers who went back into a shipping container.

"Who are you to come here?" the woman farm owner asked angrily. "Do you even know what farming is really like?"

Foreign workers and Korean farmers

There are around 20,000 Asian migrant workers legally working on South Korean farms, mostly from Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Nepal. They were brought in under the country's Employment Permit System (EPS). To keep out illegal immigrants, the system makes it extremely difficult for workers to leave their employers, even when they are severely⁶ overworked or treated badly.

South Korean farmers, too, are suffering. The industry is facing difficulties after many years of labor⁷ shortages and increasing foreign competition. In an effort to survive, some farmers bring in workers for long hours and low pay.

Shin Hyun-yoo is the leader of a farmers' group in Gyeonggi Province, where Pocheon is located.

"Our farming communities are badly aged," Shin said. "Many will collapse⁸ if it becomes harder to hire foreign workers."

Activists⁹ and workers say migrant workers in Pocheon work 10-15 hours a day, with only two Saturdays off per month. They earn around $1,300-1,600 per month, well below the legally required pay their financial agreements are supposed to guarantee.

Just 10 percent of the 200,000 workers brought to South Korea under its EPS program work on farms. About eight in 10 EPS workers are employed in factories, while the rest work in the service industry or other kinds of jobs.

The Labor Ministry¹⁰ told a lawmaker in October that 90 to 114 EPS workers died each year from 2017 to 2019.

Ven. Linsaro is a Cambodian Buddhist¹¹ monk¹² based in South Korea. He assists with funerals and helps get remains¹³ sent back to families in Cambodia. Linsaro said he knew of at least 19 Cambodian workers who died in 2020. So far in 2021, one farm worker and another worker were found dead in their shelters.

"Most of them are in their 20s and 30s ... Many of them just died in their sleep," Linsaro said. He wonders if serious health problems are going untreated because many workers do not receive good health care.

Words in This Story

pastor – n. a minister or priest in charge of a church or parish

absolute – adj. having unlimited¹⁴ power

monarch⁴ – n. a person (such as a king or queen) who rules a kingdom or empire

interview – n. a meeting between a news reporter and another person or people to gain information

shortage – n. a state in which there is not enough of something that is needed

1 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

4 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

5 monarchs   

君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Monarchs ruled England for centuries. 世袭君主统治英格兰有许多世纪。
• Serving six monarchs of his native Great Britain, he has served all men's freedom and dignity. 他在大不列颠本国为六位君王服务，也为全人类的自由和尊严服务。 来自演讲部分

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

11 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

12 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。