“Migrant workers in Korea face isolation and rising suicide rates”

Somlang—a pseudonym used to protect his identity—came to Korea with the kind of hope that makes impossible choices feel bearable. It was June 2017, and with an E-9 visa in hand, he crossed borders for a better future. The plan was simple: work hard, send money home, and chip away at the debt that clung to his family in Cambodia. However, what he encountered was not the opportunity he had imagined.

Since his arrival, Somlang endured grueling hours as a migrant laborer in the agricultural fields under Korea’s employment permit system (EPS) for a monthly salary that fluctuated between 1.47 million and 2.15 million won (roughly $1,060 to $1,560)—sometimes arriving, sometimes not, due to wage delays…

They come to Korea seeking a better life, lured by wages far higher than what they could earn at home. Yet, in the rigid hierarchy of Korean society, they are positioned at the bottom of the social pyramid, valued only for their labor.

The labor shortage in Korea’s 3D jobs—dangerous, dirty, and difficult—was a boon for employers, who viewed foreign workers as cheap and disposable solutions.

In 2020, suicides overtook workplace accidents as the leading cause of death among migrant workers…