[Report File] Ali jumped into a game that risked his life... Would it have been different if it were real?

※ Referring to the drama 'Squid Game', there may be minimal 'spoilers'.

It seems like everyone I meet these days is asking each other this question.

It's literally the squid game syndrome.

The reason why many people are enthusiastic about this drama is the highly immersive development and excellent acting skills of the actors, but also the fact that the story of the world we live in and the neighbors around us is expressed in a very realistic way.

In this [Report File], I am going to tell the story of Ali, a migrant worker who converges to 100% of the real evidence.

“I dreamed of a Korean dream, but instead of fulfilling my dream, my body and mind were overworked and full of wounds. I suffered an industrial accident, but when the boss neglected him without paying for hospital expenses or a trip home, he had a serious accident. "

- Introduced Ali's role in 'Squid Game'

For Ali, the world outside the squid game was a hell in which he could not dream of hope.

Ali lost a few fingers while working in a factory, but received no medical bills, let alone a back pay.

Falling into the abyss of despair with no money to buy a cup of noodles, Ali knew that participating in the game could kill him, but he could not find any other alternative.

But would it have been different if it was reality and not a drama?

If it was Ali in real life, could he have avoided the dire situation of jumping into a game that risked his life?

① Living in a shabby container with a young wife and gore children: "Not an exaggeration"

Ali lived with his family in a container wing that was close together.

It is unknown whether the accommodation was provided by the factory, but Ali's accommodation in the drama is shabby and poor at first glance.

But the reality is no different, and maybe even worse.

Most migrant workers live in lodgings set or provided by the company, and it is difficult to expect basic living conditions such as safety and hygiene.

According to the 2018 Migration and Human Rights Institute survey, air conditioners (42.6%), indoor toilets (39.0%), fire-prevention facilities (34.9%), and even locks (19.9%) say they do not exist.

There were also testimonies that the dormitory was noisy, dusty, and smelly (37.9%), and that it was uncomfortable because the manager or the president came and went frequently (20.7%).

Just a few months ago, the situation of domestic migrant workers' dormitories was revealed to the public.

In December of last year, Nuen Sok Heng, a 31-year-old Cambodian migrant female worker, was found dead at a greenhouse in Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do.

The dormitory where Sok Heng was staying was not properly heated, and the bathroom was just a rubber bucket placed on the side of the road outside the accommodation.

At that time, human rights groups and religious circles raised their voices saying, "The death of industrial accidents caused by the cold wave of minus 20 degrees Celsius under difficult working conditions, the poor dormitory environment of prefabricated panel accommodation in a plastic house, and the situation where there was no proper treatment or treatment."

② I lost a few fingers while working in a dangerous environment, but I didn't get treatment: "Not an exaggeration"

Like Ali in the drama, what would it be like if a migrant worker suffered an industrial accident in real life?

The setting in the drama, where it is far from getting treatment and even returning to work, is not an exaggeration in reality.

First of all, occupational accidents for migrant workers occur much more frequently than for domestic workers.

For three years from 2018, 6.9% of all industrial accident victims were foreign workers.

Considering that foreigners accounted for 3.9% of the total wage workers in Korea last year, the actual rate of industrial accidents among migrant workers is twice that of Koreans.

(Data provided: Assemblyman Yoon Mi-hyang's office) In particular, in small workplaces, accidents occurred more frequently in the early days of work, and neglect of safety management at the workplace, such as non-payment of safety gear, defects in machinery, and failure to conduct safety training, was the biggest cause.

"33-year-old in a car factory in Changwon industrial complex Kazakhstan migrant workers fatally 780kg in the old machine (11/03/2021 Press)"

"Match Hwaseong plastic manufacturing factory 18 hours continuous working migrant workers have been killed in a head wedged into the compressor (Reported on July 28, 2021)"

It is also not easy for migrant workers in hazardous working conditions to change places of business.

This is because, in order to change the place of business, you must either obtain the consent of the employer or prove that it is 'a cause not attributable to the worker'.

In addition, even if you have suffered an industrial accident, it is difficult to receive proper insurance treatment or treatment.

According to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, migrant workers face difficulties in processing industrial accident insurance because the interpreter system of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service is insufficient pointed out that

③ Salary was delayed by several months, and even complaining to the employer was useless: "No exaggeration"

It is not uncommon in real life to not be paid as much as Ali worked.

The 「Labor Standards Act」 states that it is prohibited to discriminate against working conditions on the basis of nationality, religion or social status.

However, migrant workers are not guaranteed even the minimum wage, which is the lowest level of subsistence, and often miss overtime pay.

There are many cases of deducting 500,000 won from the monthly salary as accommodation expenses while staying in a vulnerable place like the aforementioned plastic house in Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do.

Even when a migrant worker accused a migrant worker of not paying tens of millions of won in wages, conversely, the employer reported it to the police for theft.

After COVID-19, the number of cases of late payment of wages by migrant workers has increased.

According to data submitted by Rep. Im Jong-seong of the Democratic Party of Korea from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the number of domestic foreign workers (including undocumented sojourners) who reported arrears in wages increased by about 33.9% in three years from 23,885 in 2017 to 31,98 in 2020. I did.

The amount of arrears increased from KRW 78.3 billion in 2017 to KRW 128.7 billion in 2020.

If migrant workers do not know how to report or are reluctant to raise concerns, the actual amount of unpaid wages is expected to be enormous.

In 2021, still "the boss is bad"

It's already been 17 years since the buzzword "Your boss is bad" appeared on a gag program.

Decades have passed, but the poor working conditions faced by migrant workers still have a long way to go.

The number of migrants in Korean society has increased every year since 2007, when the number of migrants exceeded 1 million for the first time, reaching 2.481,000 as of October 2019, exceeding the population of Daegu Metropolitan City or Jeollabuk-do.

In particular, migrant workers have long been an essential member of the community that sustains industry in the workplace.

As the squid game became popular all over the world, all the elements in the drama, from 'The Flower of Mugunghwa Bloomed' to 'Dalgona', are being re-examined. .

(Photo = provided by Netflix, Yonhap News)