hankyoreh

Foreign laborers working illegally in South Korea suffer from intestinal ailments at twice the rate of their legal foreign counterparts, a survey has shown.

According to 541 migrated workers surveyed between July and August 2006 by a group of South Korean medical experts at Seoul National University, 14.7 percent of the illegal workers had intestinal diseases, nearly double the number (8.3 percent) of legal workers with the medical problem.

The survey also found that illegal foreign workers suffered from sleeping disorders at a rate 11.9 percentage points higher than did legal foreign workers. Illegal workers also visited the hospital 1.7 times more frequently than did legal workers. However, only 11.3 percent of the illegal workers had health insurance in the survey, far less than the 58.2 percent insured rate of their counterparts.

Overall, foreign workers balk at paying a visit to the hospital due to the cost of medical care, the language barrier, and time restraints, the survey showed.

"Such a minor disease as an intestinal ailment usually becomes worse for illegal workers, since they often work under dire conditions while not receiving proper medical treatment," said Hong Seung-gwon, a professor leading the survey.

"Illegal workers here also suffer poorer working conditions than their legal counterparts. Regulatory measures to protect their health are needed," Hong added.

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