They were descendants of Koreans who moved to northeastern China, fleeing Japan’s brutal colonial rule in the early 20th century. In a twist of history, many like them have returned to South Korea in recent decades, seeking better-paying jobs in the homeland of their ancestors, now one of the richest countries in the world.
For more than a dozen of them, their Korean dream came to a horrific end on Monday when a toxic inferno engulfed a lithium battery factory where they had found work. The 23 workers killed at the factory in Hwaseong, a city south of Seoul, included 12 women and five men from China, ranging in age from 23 to 48, officials said. Most were ethnic Koreans.
The disaster has once again highlighted the harsh reality faced by migrant workers here, from China and elsewhere. South Korea, with its shrinking population, has been rapidly increasing the number of workers it hires from abroad to toil at the bottom rung of its labor market. They do so-called 3D jobs โ dirty, difficult and dangerous โ that locals shun.
