Officials at the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency point at a plaque for a special team that will conduct a large-scale investigation into alleged abuses of employees at salt farms on islands off the southwestern coast, at their office in Muan County, South Jeolla Province, Monday. / Yonhap



Police plan to launch investigation draws skepticism

By Nam Hyun-woo



Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency pledged Monday to create a special team to investigate the alleged abuse of employees at salt farms on islands off the southwestern coast. That pledge has however failed to assuage the massive public outrage about reports of labor abuses, amid rumors that some officers may have colluded with a farm owner on an island off Shinan County in South Jeolla Province to cover-up his illegal acts.

The move follows reports of two disabled people forced to work under slave-like conditions, which later revealed the wider inhumane labor conditions across the salt producing industry.

Chae, 48, one of the victims, who is mentally challenged, recounts that his ordeal started after he was introduced to the owner of a salt farm on Shinui Island off Shinan County by a job broker in 2008. It turned out to be very hard work. He was also ordered to do household chores and allowed only five hours of sleep daily.



To make an already bad situation worse, his employer refused to pay him his wages. Chae was prevented from leaving the island, and frequently assaulted by his employer if he failed to comply with the latter's "rules."

Kim, a visually impaired man, also became prey to similar ruthless labor conditions under the same circumstances as Chae.

Unable to further endure their torment, the two made three unsuccessful escape attempts during the past years, for which they were each beaten by their employers.

The labor abuse case went public after Kim managed to send a letter appealing to his mother for help. Outraged by the appalling conditions of her son, she contacted the police, leading to freedom for the two on Jan. 28.

Guro Police Station in Seoul arrested the farm owner surnamed Hong and the job brokers, for labor abuse and assault.

The case triggered public uproar against local police and labor authorities, for failing to prevent such abuses from taking place.

Many citizens were angered that the two victims could not ask nearby residents or police for help because of the fear that this would lead to another round of beatings.

Shinui Police Station, which is in charge of the island, came under fire because Kim chose to write to his mother instead of reporting to the police station, which is just 70 meters away from the postbox he dropped the letter in.

More hidden abuses

The case was followed by a belated massive probe of labor conditions at other salt farms in the region, which uncovered similar cases of widespread labor abuse. So far, 20 out of some 170 farm workers, including Kim and Chae, were found to have not been paid ― the total amount of their unpaid salaries surpasses 200 million won.

One of them, surnamed Huh, had worked at a separate farm in the county for a decade, where he was not paid except for intermittent cash handouts. He is owed an estimated 120 million won for the 10 years he worked there, according to police.



There are also, suspicions that some farm owners hid their workers to evade police raids. There are 223 salt farms in Shinui-myon, which comprises Shinui Island, but only 95 of them told police they have employees, according to police.

In the province, more than 1,000 salt farms are in operation, but labor authorities face setbacks in counting the exact number of farm workers, because they were often hired without proper contracts.

Critics say that the labor issue in salt farms not just reflects some farm owners' lack of respect for labor or human rights, but also mirrors the complex situation in Korea's salt industry.

They pointed out that the domestic salt price is too cheap compared to imports, driving some farm owners to engage in such abuses out of desperation. The average price of 1 kilogram of bay salt produced in Shinan County, renowned for its quality, was 1,100 won, while that of other rock salts was some 1,050 won, according to the Civil Federation of Food Campaigns.

The average price of 1 kilogram of Guerande Sea Salt from France, also popular for its quality, was 27,900 won, while that of other rock salts was 2,325 won.

The organization pointed out that Shinan County's salt deserves higher price.

Farm owners say that producing quality salt requires massive labor, but the current salt price hardly offers them any incentive to produce.