Another slave shares ordeal
Johor man claims being exploited by M’sian agent
PETALING JAYA: More cases of Malaysians working illegally in South Korea are coming to light, the latest involving a Johor man who claims he was cheated by another Malaysian acting as a work agent.
Faizal (not his real name), from Pasir Gudang, arrived in South Korea on Aug 1 last year with 10 other Malaysians.
The 29-year-old paid RM2,900 to the agent, who promised them jobs with high salaries, accommodation with Internet connection, and transport to and from work.
“When we arrived, he cheated us of 20,000 won (RM75) each after we ate fried rice in a restaurant.
“He didn’t give us any change, but we kept quiet because we were new there.
“The agent promised to get us work visas even though Malaysia was not registered with South Korea for (the supply of ) labourers,” Faizal said when contacted by mStar Online, The Star’s Malay news portal.
Faizal said the agent wanted an additional 800,000 won (RM3,020) from them to secure the visa.
The 11 of them were then split into several groups and sent to work in different locations.
“The agent sent me with three others to a plastic recycling plant and told us we would be paid 1.8 million won (RM6,800) a month, excluding overtime.
“Our working hours would be from 9am to 7pm, and we would have a good employer.
“We were sent to work in Incheon and the agent told us to take pictures when we arrived at the bus station, apparently so he could tell our employer that we were there,” he said.
Unfortunately, Faizal discovered later that the picture was used to cheat new victims.
When he arrived at the plastic recycling plant, he was surprised to learn that it handled domestic and industrial waste instead.
He was told to separate iron and aluminium from faeces, vehicle scrap and animal carcasses.
The house they were promised turned out to be a small room that they had to share with four others, and they had to pay their own way to get to work by taxi.
He added that they were not paid their salary for a month and a half – about 2.4 million won (RM9,070) each – even after working 10-hour shifts.
Faizal and the other Malaysians were also evicted by their landlord when their employers did not pay the rent.
“The agent just told us to be patient without trying to solve the problem. He said he had found work for me at a launderette with a salary of two million won (RM7,550) a month.
“Unfortunately, the employer only offered me 1.4 million won (RM5,290) and again, I was not paid,” he said.
Tired of the situation, Faizal sought the help of a Malaysian volunteer in South Korea to lodge a report with the Labour Office.
“The agent threatened to harm me after learning that I had opened a case at the Labour Office,” said Faizal, who returned home on Dec 13 after being arrested by South Korean authorities.
He said he is barred from the country for an indefinite period, making it hard for him or his friends to attend the case mention at the Labour Office on Jan 9.