“They called me daddy.”
Song In-seon (65) felt embarrassed, saying that this was the first time he had been called “dad” by someone outside of his family. He was talking about helping Vietnamese migrant worker Huang Hdin (then 31 years old) 16 years ago. Hwang Hdin, the father of two children, came to Korea in 2007 on a non-professional employment ( E9 ) visa. He got a job at a factory in Siheung, Gyeonggi-do, thinking that he would be more profitable than a driver in Hanoi, but got into an accident three months later. He was assembling car parts, and his hand was pressed by a press machine, and the medical staff said, “I need to operate several times.”
Mr. Song held out his hand to Huang Hidin, who was discouraged. Mr. Song took responsibility for her guardian from her surgery to outpatient treatment after discharge. On behalf of Huang Hdin, she also requested a retrial of the Labor and Welfare Corporation decision (disability level 10). After several months of hard work by Mr. Song, who went to and from the hospital, Huang Hudin’s disability level was raised to level 8, and the compensation was increased by about 10 million won. It is said that Hwang Hideen called Mr. Song ‘dad’ in his poor Korean before returning to Korea in September 2009. He was his own thank you. Ms. Song remembered, “Last March, Hwang Hdin sent me the news of her son’s marriage via messenger.”
Mr. Song still keeps in touch with Huang Hdin, who has returned to Vietnam. It is said that Huang Hdin told Mr. Song that his son was getting married last March. photo by Song In-sun
Activities started with shock from volunteer service in Myanmar
The 2005 medical volunteer service in Myanmar was crucial for Song to start helping migrant workers. While doing volunteer work, she overheard a conversation with a local, and was shocked to see how Koreans criticized the attitude of Koreans toward migrant workers using profanities. However, since she graduated from elementary school and had a career as a car center repairman, there were no groups that welcomed her.
Marten, a Ghanaian who was worried about her livelihood after being injured while working in a factory, and a brother and sister of Chinese compatriots who could not raise money for a kidney transplant. The more stories she passed먹튀검증, the more days she left work with tears in her eyes. Intensifying financial pressures also plagued him.
Instead of stopping his activities, Song changed his direction. Dispersed migrant workers were allowed to build a community centered on a leader. Since they cannot take care of all the migrant workers, they tried to help them become self-reliant. After belatedly taking the GED, she obtained a social worker license and went on to graduate school in immigration and multicultural policy. In 2011, when it was selected as a base operating institution for the Social Integration Program of the Ministry of Justice, it received support and was able to provide Korean language education, which opened up breath for the organization.
Mr. Song received a plaque of appreciation from the Ghana community in Korea last January. He helped a Ghanaian who suffered an industrial accident to become self-reliant. photo by Song In-sun
Song has been working as a member of the Ministry of Justice’s Immigration Policy Committee since November last year. The issue of illegal immigrants (unregistered foreigners) is also one of the areas in which voices are raised. According to the Ministry of Justice, there are 414,045 illegal immigrants in Korea (as of March), accounting for about one-fifth of all foreigners residing (2,335,595). The Ministry of Justice, the National Police Agency, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor are conducting joint crackdowns, but Song’s assessment is that they are ineffective. He said, “Reducing illegal immigrants through joint crackdowns is pouring water into a bottomless pot. We need to think about other measures, such as a ladder-type temporary residence permit,” he said.
He also received commendations from the Prime Minister (in 2016) and the Minister of Health and Welfare (in 2012) in recognition of his contribution to immigrant social integration, etc., but Mr. Song said that he was not at ease. He didn’t have enough people to continue his activities after him. He said, “Many migrant workers across the country are in the blind spot of welfare. The state should support them so that they can settle down as members of society.” This is the wish of the ‘migrant worker father’ who celebrated the 16th International Day on the 20th.