[Sold to the end] 'Salt farm exploitation' repeats in the welfare hole for the disabled

<Anchor>

Although this may not be the case everywhere, experts say that there is a structural problem behind the repeated exploitation of labor in salt fields.

It is an environment where they work in isolation and surveillance, neglected around them, and the welfare system does not work.

Among them, we focused on the welfare system.

Reporter Jeong Ban-seok covered the reality of returning to the salt farm because there was no place to go even after the hardship had been exiting the salt farm.

<Reporter>

Mr. A, who ran out of the salt farm at the end of last year after the salt farm owner was arrested after Park Young-geun's revelations.

After going back and forth from his temporary residence, he finally came to the manpower agency.

[Recruiter's family: He told me that there was nowhere to eat and sleep.]

There was no other life that Mr. A knew and could choose.

[Recruiter's family: They ask me to put in salt fields.

Ask me to do salt farm work.]

Mr. A stayed at an inn run by a human resource agent, and

[Activist for a human rights group for the disabled: He is stating that he was asked to write a memorandum under the pretext of letting him sleep in the inn or buying clothes, etc. .]

The dealer found a new salt farm.

[Recruiter's family: The president of the salt farm gave 1 million won (in advance) to the bankbook in front of him, and he said he didn't have money, so he's going to make him work.]

We're back on the classic path of trapping disabled workers with nowhere to go to salt farm labor.

The police, who received a report of disappearance from the disabled group, managed to prevent Mr. A from re-employing the salt farm.

In addition, we are investigating whether there is an inducement for the exploitation of persons with disabilities, such as human resource agencies.

The case of Mr. A shows why the exploitation of salt farm labor is not being eradicated.

The welfare delivery system that will help you get out of the salt pan and make a living is not working at all.

There is currently no shelter in Jeollanam-do to accommodate the disabled workers of salt farms.

[Old Jeonnam Shelter for the Victims of the Disabled: I know that the shelter contract ended at the end of December (I know)]

A new shelter for the disabled will open in May, but Jeollanam-do says that salt farm workers who are not registered for the disabled cannot receive it. position.

[Seo Yeon-soo / Jeollanam-do Disabled Facilities Team Leader: There is no such system that provides such support and registration before registering the disabled.] This is an

incorrect administration.

[The person in charge of the Ministry of Health and Welfare: I replied that it is possible to enter even an unregistered disabled person.]

[Kim Kang-won / Director of Human Rights Policy, Research Institute for the Rights and Interests of the Disabled: Among salt farm victims, it is difficult to register themselves even though they have a disability or they cannot register because they do not receive help from their family. there are many

It is really impossible for Jeollanam-do to refuse to enter the shelter even though it has already been investigated as having a disability.]

Unless the welfare delivery system for the disabled is improved, it is difficult to break the vicious cycle of not even stating the fact of damage and returning to the salt farm even after escaping.

(Video editing: Tae-ho Yoon, VJ: Jun-ho Kim)

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<Anchor>

However, the US embassy is also looking into this issue recently.

Let's ask reporter Jeong Ban-seok what the reason is.

[Reporter Jeong Ban-seok: Yes, an official from the US embassy in Korea went down to Mokpo last month and met directly with officials from the Jeollanam-do investigative agency.

It is said that they comprehensively investigated the salt farm slavery case in 2014 and the relevance of this case, the investigation status, and the perspectives of related organizations.

The US embassy is said to have sent a report to the US State Department about the investigation.

It remains to be seen whether it will be mentioned in official documents such as the Human Trafficking Report, which the US State Department releases every June.

We had a formal inquiry.

The US embassy has responded by saying that advocating for human rights is part of what a nation is, and that it will work with the Korean government to combat human trafficking and forced labor.]

[Reporter Jeong Ban-seok: According to the UN Protocol on Trafficking in Persons, which Korea also ratified in 2015, the concept of human trafficking includes exploiting the vulnerability of persons with intellectual disabilities or subjugating them through payment of advance payment.

The problem is that human trafficking is an international concept, and even if it falls under this concept, criminal punishment is difficult under the current law.

Criticism is being raised that the provision of punishment for perpetrators is omitted from the Human Trafficking Act, which was created last year.

It is a point where we need to look back on whether or not brokers who lure people with weak judgment and send them to salt farms, salt farm owners who exploit wages, and corporations and local governments that stand by them are all de facto human trafficking cartels.]

▶ [Sell till the end] " I'm scared" Salt farm victims show 'Stockholm syndrome'