Migrant workers under the Employment Permit System (EPS) make up a substantial proportion of the agricultural workforce in South Korea. Their labour is important to the survival of farms throughout the country yet many unscrupulous employers have been allowed to exploit migrant workers with virtual impunity. This report reveals how the majority of migrants interviewed by Amnesty International were trafficked for exploitation and were working in conditions of forced labour. Until the rights of these migrants are protected in practice, the EPS will continue to be synonymous with a system of labour exploitation.
Index Number: ASA 25/004/2014