KUALA LUMPUR - Reports of workplace harassment involving migrant workers in South Korea have more than tripled between 2020 and 2024, as reported by the Korea Herald.

Data from the Ministry of Employment and Labour, cited by lawmaker Kim Wi-sang of the People Power Party, showed 65 reported cases in 2020 compared to 225 in 2024, which records a 3.5-fold increase.

By May 2025, another 112 complaints had already been lodged, suggesting this year could see the highest total yet.

The issue gained renewed attention in July after a video surfaced showing a Sri Lankan worker at a brick factory in Naju being tied to a stack of bricks with plastic wrap and lifted by a forklift.

Authorities determined the act constituted workplace harassment and fined the employer three million won (about US$2,200).

President Lee Jae-myung condemned the incident as unacceptable violence and vowed to take strong action against such abuse.

Police have since launched a nationwide, 100-day crackdown on workplace violence and harassment targeting foreign national workers.

Advocates, however, say the official figures capture only a small portion of the problem, as many cases are handled internally or never reported.

Migrant workers often work in small businesses with fewer than five employees, making it difficult to report abuse or seek redress.

Even when complaints are filed, legal gaps mean many cases end without penalties or are dismissed as no violation.

South Korea’s Workplace Anti-Bullying Act, enacted in 2019, defines harassment as abuse of authority that causes harm or worsens the work environment.

Employers are required to investigate complaints and take corrective measures, but once these are completed, such cases may be officially closed without penalties.

The law also excludes workplaces with fewer than five employees or those employing workers in special arrangements, sectors where migrants are heavily concentrated.

Between 2020 and May 2025, more than 820 harassment complaints involving migrant workers were filed, but only a few dozen resulted in corrective orders or fines.

Around 400 cases were withdrawn or closed as no violation, while several hundred were excluded for falling outside the law’s coverage.

“About 70 percent of migrant workers in South Korea are employed at workplaces with fewer than 30 people, many of them under five.

“When they ask to transfer after being abused, some employers retaliate by refusing to assign them work. That means no wages and often worse treatment,” Jung Young-seop of Migrant Workers Solidarity for Equality told the Korea Herald.

To strengthen protections, the South Korean government plans to revise the E-9 employment visa system to grant greater job mobility and extend workers’ stays in three-year terms.

Currently, foreign workers can change jobs only under limited conditions, such as unpaid wages or physical abuse.

Regional Context

In Malaysia, a cross-sectional study at a public university hospital found that 11.2 percent of workers reported experiencing workplace bullying within six months.

A larger national survey found that 39.1 percent of employees said they had been bullied at some point in their careers, though the study did not specifically isolate migrant workers.

Among Indonesian labourers in Malaysia, it was found that experiences of workplace discrimination were closely linked to higher levels of psychological distress, underscoring the mental toll of unequal treatment.

Further analysis highlights that Indonesian migrant workers frequently face verbal abuse, unpaid wages and limited access to justice in host countries.