KOREA CHURCH WOMEN UNITED

     Perspectives on the duel meanings of "globalization": in one sense, globalization means global sharing of cultural differences. On the other hand, it also signifies the economic domination by the powerful nations based on market liberalization. South Korea has been pressed to open its market and to be incorporated to the global economic system fully since the start of the Uruguay Round negotiations of the GATT. At the same time it was hit by a sudden economic crisis starting from the bankruptcy of Hanbo Steel, the typical case of government and big business collusion and bribery. The whole society has been shaken by the scandal. Further impact from the ensuing credit fall made foreign banks collect loans and debts and the central bank was deplete of its foreign currency reserve. Small, medium, and large corporations fell to bankruptcy in suit. In December 3, 1997, the IMF began their formal intervention in South Korea with an agreement with the Kim Young Sam administration. The conditionalities that IMF put to its bailout loan were tantamount to forcing the whole Korean economy to shrink suddenly, almost to the verge of collapsing entirely. This sunk South Korea into the debt status of 200 bullion US dollars, which amounts to 500 billion if the total interest of the debt is added.
     The fundamental cause of Korea's economic crisis is the bubble form of economic expansion. Business without their own investment had been established with loans and debts the depended on foreign banks that provided money with low interest. Moreover since most of food, raw materials and resources (food 40%, feed 100%, gas 100% depended upon the import, without dollars, Korea couldn't survive any longer. At that time Korea had only one week's worth of foreign exchange holdings to sustain itself through the crisis.
     The IMF's loan conditions required high interest rate, structural adjustment, deregulation, the control of the labor union movement. The high interest rate policy brings the sequential bankruptcy of business, and the required structural adjustments push businesses to tighten their budgets and to lay off employees. Daily laborers, women, migrant workers are first prioritized for lay-off. The number of job losers is now up to 2 million.
     In this context there is no question that migrant workers are the ones who feel the first impact of this crisis and this is why they are leaving Korea in great numbers these days. The Korean government targeted 146,000 undocumented migrant workers for retrenchment and repatriation. The small and medium sized business administrations have earmarked IBRD(World Bank) funds to give cheap loans to those who would retrench their migrant workers. In addition, Korea's Ministry of Finance and Economy announced (1998 foreign manpower directory) plans (Dong-A Ilbo, March 10, 98) to expel 120,000 undocumented migrants as a strategy to contain burgeoning unemployment among Koreans (to open up 3-D jobs to Korean workers) Adding to such coercion, the threat of a crackdown or sweeps of factories employing undocumented migrant workers led panicked owners of small factors that employed undocumented migrant workers to lay them off in order to avoid paying the heavy fines if caught employing "illegal" migrant workers. The Justice Ministry estimates that 57,000 migrant workers had left Korea by the end of May 1998. Yet there remains disparate and conflicting claims as to the actual numbers of migrant workers left in Korea.
     The total of 1,222 cases reported from March 9 - 14, 1998, deliberating on settlements totalling 1,101,652,561 won have not been resolved and the plantains have been forced to stay in Korea. For unpaid wages; there 943 cases totalling to 764,818,241 won (546,298 US dollars); fraud, 46 cases totally 328,956,000 won (234,968 US dollars); Workman's compensation, 68 cases; cases of death; Health care cases numbering 78; Desperate/no money cases numbering 79; etc.
     Since November 24, 1993 most migrant workers came to Korea through the Alien Industrial Technology Training Program (AITTP) which sewed as a modal for the legal entry of workers to Korea. The government allowed the import of 20,000 trainees in response to pressure from small and medium sized companies (factories), and grants control of this trainee program in recruitment, personnel placement management to the Korean Federation of Small (and Medium sized) Businesses (KFSB). KFSB designed the trainee recruitment system with an inter-ministry body composed of the Ministry of Justice, Labor, Trade and Industry and Central Economic Planning Offices.

     Those in the worst situation are the owners of small and medium sized factories who were forced to replace migrant workers. They face the threat of fine or persecution should they persist in hiring them. Moreover, not many Koreans take replacement for the long term, low compensation in difficult, dirty and dangerous job environments.

     Female migrant workers of the "illegal" type usually work in the untouchable places such as in restaurant kitchen, laundry places of motels, farms, poultry farming, vinyl house farming, baby sitting, small factories, house maid work, etc. Salary range is about 500,000 to 600,000 won. Most of female migrant workers were from Korea-Chinese origin immigrating through the help of brokers, relatives etc. Migrants to Korea, in order to earn money, can sometimes commit fraud but most of them fall victims to fraud. Should they be raped, sexually harassed or become victims of other forms of violence, they couldn't report or sue the injurers because of their "illegal" status. When they are pregnant, the spouse often turns away and avoids responsibility. Two victims whom I made close contact with, a Russian and a Vietnamese, keep saying that they want to go back home. It means they are suffering both physically and mentally.
     Just as in Japan where migrant female workers have been usually identified as prostitutes, some Southeast Asian women who come to Korea with entertainer visas often stay and work at night clubs near the US. military bases. In Dongducheon, Songtan, Kunsan cities or wherever US. military camps exist, those women gather to settle for earning. Prostitutions are increasing among them. Also the cases of victims of trafficking women, who have been forced into prostitution are increasing. But because of the lack of command in English and the lack of financial means, few people try to help them. Because they have entertainer visas, they should be certainly recognized as "migrant workers".
     No one could deny their contribution of the economic development of Korea. Moreover, they are not "things" to be imported and exploited internationally in the name of structural adjustment. The Korean government pervasively stimulated nationalism by manipulating the structural adjustment at the expense of "foreign" workers. Racist and biased policy needs to be reviewed, and the South Korean government should not take the risk of making unnecessary conflict and isolation from other Asian countries with regard to the expanding international relationship. This is because the migrant workers' issue is no longer limited within Korea, and has rather become a major international labour issue drawing world's attention. Away from racist prejudice, we have to see clearly what capitalist investors aim for in dealing with Asian countries including Korea.
     In order to avoid a total chaos of the whole Asia economy from the hands of international investors, multinational corporations, and international lawyers, Asian countries have to cooperate with each other along with joint studies and plans for long-range perspective.