The plight of South Korea’s foreign workers

Migrant workers harvest and package vegetables in a greenhouse in Gasan-myeon, South Korea. Though a shrinking population makes imported labour vital, migrant workers routinely face predatory employers, inhumane conditions and other abuse. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

SAMSUNG phones. Hyundai cars. LG TVs. South Korean exports are available in virtually every corner of the world. But the nation is more dependent than ever before on an import to keep its factories and farms humming – foreign labour.

This shift is part of the fallout from a demographic crisis that has left South Korea with a shrinking and ageing population. Data released recently showed that last year the country broke its own record – again – for the world’s lowest total fertility rate.