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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Awaiting My Student's Lecture on Migrant Labor [Ha Jong-gang Column]

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Analysis Sources not specified Context piece
  • A professor reflects on students being arrested for participating in protests while he continued teaching.
  • The professor recounts how students faced fines and even served jail time for their activism.
  • The article discusses current issues faced by migrant workers, including union busting and threats to their residency status.

Professor Ha Jong-gang begins by recounting a reunion with a former student who is now a labor activist. This meeting triggers memories of a time when students, including this former student, were frequently arrested for participating in protests related to the Sewol ferry disaster and the Gwangju Uprising. The professor recalls the anxiety of teaching while his students were being detained.

I was embarrassed that I was teaching normally while my students were being arrested on those days.

— Ha Jong-gangRecalling his feelings when students were arrested for participating in protests.

During that period, students faced significant fines for their activism, totaling around 30 million won. The faculty initially offered to cover these fines, seeing it as their responsibility. However, the students refused the financial aid, opting instead to work off their fines through labor, a decision the professor interprets as a desire to avoid charity and take responsibility for their actions.

If you want to give it, why do you make us work?

— Former studentInterpreting the students' refusal of faculty financial aid for fines.

The narrative then shifts to contemporary labor issues. The former student, now working for a civic group, is involved in a case where migrant workers are allegedly facing unfair labor practices. Specifically, the student's union claims that migrant workers affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) are being threatened with non-renewal of their contracts and deportation, while Korean workers in the same union are not facing similar repercussions. The workers are demanding government intervention.

I submitted a leave of absence for employment. I got a job as a full-time employee at a civic group.

— Former studentExplaining his absence from classes due to his activism and employment.

The professor also touches upon the complexities of labor unions in South Korea, noting the frequent establishment of Korean Federation of Trade Unions (KFTU) unions in response to KCTU organizing. He distinguishes between labor-friendly and labor-cooperative approaches. The article concludes with the professor's plan to lecture on "Metal Workers' Union and Migrant Workers" and his anticipation of learning from the young activist.

I will not renew your visa. I will send you back to your country.

— Company managerAllegedly threatening a migrant worker union member.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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