By Kim Se-jeong

Could you imagine getting paid for your work entirely in coins?

That's what happened to four Uzbek construction workers in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang Province, on June 9.

According to news reports, the workers received 4.4 million won all together in more than 22,000 coins ― 5,297 500 won coins and 17,505 100 won coins.

The migrant workers had contracts with the head of a construction company to work for a month, paid weekly. But the workers said the employer did not pay them on the promised dates and they refused to work.

In retaliation, the employer changed 4.4 million won in delayed payments into coins at six different banks in town and put them into bags. Arriving in his office, he poured out the coins on the floor in front of the workers.

The employer later told the local media that he did so intentionally because the workers kept complaining about delayed paychecks and didn't show up for work, adding that payment is often delayed for a couple days.

The migrant workers took the coins home, staying up all night sorting out the coins out by denomination so they could find a way to exchange them the next day.

After several unsuccessful attempts at local shops and banks, a supermarket owner helped them bring the coins to the Bank of Korea's Changwon branch.

It took 40 minutes for four bank workers to count the coins with machines and exchange them for 50,000 won bills.

"It was embarrassing to see that the migrant workers were treated so poorly in exchange for their labor," a bank worker said. "We, as Koreans, felt sorry for them."