Applicants Forced to Do Duck-Walks During Local Govt Overseas Hiring: "Fail and You're Out"

[Anchor]

Local governments in South Korea often dispatch officials overseas to recruit so-called "seasonal workers" to help fill labor shortages during the busy farming season. However, an absurd incident occurred in the Philippines, where applicants were seen forced to do duck-walks in a group.

Reporter Jeong Banseok investigated this exclusively.

[Reporter]

These photos were taken in Concepcion, the Philippines, on August 25.

During a recruitment process for seasonal workers by Paju, Gyeonggi Province, applicants can be seen standing in a line, raising both arms, or lying on the ground.

There are also photos of them doing duck-walks in a group.

Paju explained that a physical fitness test was conducted for the roughly 300 people gathered at the site.

[Paju Official: It's not like we brought equipment ourselves; the situation just suddenly arose. They just told them to do about 10 push-ups or walk a few steps in a duck-walk.]

The person holding the microphone at the site was not a Paju official, but the head of a private recruitment agency, a man surnamed Hong.

It turned out that this was not the first time duck-walks had been required.

[Hong / Head of Recruitment Agency: We did it all when we went to Buyeo Agricultural Cooperative last time. We also did it when we went to Anseong Agricultural Cooperative.]

A seasonal worker from the Philippines who came to Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, through Hong two years ago said she felt humiliated by this selection method.

[Esther (Pseudonym) / Filipino Seasonal Worker: Hong said that if we couldn't do the duck-walk, the agricultural cooperative staff would drop us and we wouldn't be able to go to Korea. It's something they make you do in prison, isn't it? Why did the Koreans let them do that? Why didn't they stop it?]

The amended Immigration Act, which took effect in January of this year, prohibits anyone other than the state, local governments, and specialized agencies designated by the government from intervening in the recruitment of seasonal workers.

Violators are subject to up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won, a measure aimed at blocking illegal brokers who skim money from the middle.

Hong claims he only acted as an interpreter.

[Hong / Head of Recruitment Agency: There is only one thing I do. I interpret.]

Paju's explanation is different.

[Paju Official: The dispatch agency in Concepcion said they wanted to supply foreign seasonal workers. I didn't even know where Concepcion was. They suggested, 'Why don't you try using workers here as well?' and that's how it started...]

Officials also lament that it is practically difficult for local governments, unfamiliar with local conditions, to conduct direct recruitment.

[Another Paju Official: It is not easy to do it directly with a foreign local government. An intermediary organization has to be involved.]

With local governments nationwide selecting 110,000 seasonal workers this year, critics point out that the central government should step in instead of local municipalities.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
Reported by Bae Moon-san and Yang Hyun-chul | Video by Lee Sang-min | Graphics by Haneul
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.