In life as in death, Thai migrant worker treated as less than human by his Korean employer

Posted on : 2023-03-09 16:43 KST Modified on : 2023-03-09 16:56 KST
For nearly 10 years before his death, Boonchu Prawasenang lived in a room affixed to a pigpen in which manure and mold caked the walls
Officials with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency measure carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide in the air at a pig farm in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, where a 67-year-old Thai worker named Boonchu Prawasenang worked before dying. The green tarps in the foreground cover pig carcasses, while the padlocked door was the entrance to Prawasenang’s living quarters. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)
Officials with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency measure carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide in the air at a pig farm in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, where a 67-year-old Thai worker named Boonchu Prawasenang worked before dying. The green tarps in the foreground cover pig carcasses, while the padlocked door was the entrance to Prawasenang’s living quarters. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

On Tuesday afternoon, the Hankyoreh visited a pig farm in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. The pungent smell coming from the barn was inescapable; even a KF-94 mask wasn’t enough to block out the stench. As the Hankyoreh’s reporters entered the pigpen, slightly smaller than a basketball court, wearing protective clothing, over 100 pigs began squealing at once, startled by the appearance of strangers.

The body of Boonchu Prawasenang, a 67-year-old Thai migrant worker who worked at this pig farm, was found at a nearby hill at around 5 pm on Saturday. He had been reported missing at 2 pm that day.

The police, who are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the man’s death, were quick to arrest the owner of the pig farm the following day on charges of desecration of the body. The owner of the pig farm was revealed to be surnamed Kim and be in his 60s.

Living mere feet away from piles of pig carcasses

As a result of checking CCTV footage recorded nearby, the police discovered that Kim drove a tractor from the pigpen where Prawasenang lived to a nearby hill two days before the worker’s body was found. The police believe that Kim was transporting Prawasenang, who had collapsed in the pigpen, on the tractor to the location where the body was dumped.

Prawasenang’s living quarters were located in the same building as the pigpen. A thin cement wall was the only thing separating his living space from the pig farm. Traces of pig manure that had leaked down the walls were also visible while pig carcasses were covered with tarps all over the barn. The bedroom where Prawasenang would sleep after his exhausting days working in the pigpen was barely big enough for two adult men to lie down.

Clothes and blankets were scattered all over the vinyl flooring while a small circular dining table sat in the corner of the room. There was also a monitor, but the purpose of it was unclear. Mold grew on the wallpaper and in various other places, likely from the humidity.

An official from the Pocheon Migrant Workers Center who had visited the location the previous day said, “The room and kitchen all reminded me of a garbage dump.”

Officials with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency measure carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide in the air at a pig farm in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, where a 67-year-old Thai worker named Boonchu Prawasenang worked before his body was found. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)
Officials with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency measure carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide in the air at a pig farm in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, where a 67-year-old Thai worker named Boonchu Prawasenang worked before his body was found. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

Prawasenang spent about 10 years in these squalid quarters full of stench, trash, and the squeals of pigs. After overstaying the tourist visa he came to Korea on in 2013, he continuously worked at this pig farm in Pocheon.

According to the National Forensic Service, which conducted the autopsy on Prawasenang’s remains, no evidence of foul play was found. Labor authorities are currently looking into whether poor working and living conditions were related to Prawasenang’s death.

“Considering the fact that Prawasenang was found dead in his accommodation located in the building of the pigpen, there is a possibility that he may have been exposed to hydrogen sulfide from the manure,” said Ryu Hyeon-cheol, head of the Center for Working Environment Health.

“Hydrogen sulfide can cause asphyxiation when septic tanks are cleaned and is dangerous upon long-term exposure,” Ryu added.

Meanwhile, Rev. Kim Dal-seong, head of the Pocheon Migrant Workers Center, believes Prawasenang died due to overwork.

“Prawasenang’s cause of death is suspected to be connected with a cardiac abnormality, which is a typical form of death from overwork. Raising more than 100 pigs with only the farm owner must have been too much,” Kim said.

According to the police, it remains unknown whether Prawasenang received any professional medical treatment. They are currently investigating whether the farm owner dumped Prawasenang’s body at the nearby hill to hide the fact that he hired an illegal immigrant.

The Uijeongbu District Court that issued the arrest warrant on Tuesday for the farm owner on charges of dumping the body said they did so due to concerns the owner could destroy evidence and posed a flight risk.

By Lee Seung-wook, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

button that move to original korean article (클릭시 원문으로 이동하는 버튼)

Related stories

Most viewed articles