DILI, 14 july 2023 (TATOLI) – South Korean police have detained two more Timorese laborers for overstaying in South Korea and working with expired passports.
“This week, the Korean police detained two more Timorese workers after the arrest of their five fellows last week,” Filomeno Soares, director of the National Directorate of Foreign Employment (DNEE) of the Secretariat of State for Vocational Training and Employment (SEFOPE), told TATOLI today.
The seven Timorese workers are currently being held at the Korean Immigration Police detention center to be deported to Timor-Leste.
“These Timorese workers are being investigated. The police will check their documents, including their passports and labor contracts, to see what regulations were violated by these workers,” he said.
When asked about the date of their deportation, Soares said that the Korean Authority will inform SEFOPE soon after the investigation.
The South Korean government, under the leadership of President Yoon Suk-Yeol, is currently very strict on the labor movement.
“South Korean Police continue to carry out a crackdown against undocumented migrant workers, with more than 1,000 Timorese laborers reportedly in breach of their labor contracts,” Soares said.
The crackdown against ‘illegal’ migrant workers was launched on October 24, 2003. Since that date, tens of thousands of migrant workers have reportedly been deported or have left the country.
Currently, many illegal migrant workers are facing forced deportation by the South Korean government.
Company owners who employ illegal workers who have stayed for more than the legal term of 4 years will face up to three years in prison and fines of 20 million won (about US$17,000).
Soares called on Timorese laborers who are about to leave for Korea to abide by their employment contracts.
“Once you are detained and deported, you will have no further opportunity to return to work in South Korea,” Soares stressed.
Since the implementation of the program, more than 5,000 young Timorese have been sent to work in South Korea.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Martins
