Applicants Forced to Do Duck Walk in Mass Screening... "Fail and You're Out" What Happened

[Anchor]

Local governments in South Korea often send officials abroad to select so-called "seasonal workers" to help fill severe labor shortages during the busy farming season. However, an absurd incident occurred in the Philippines where applicants were forced to do the duck walk in a group.

Reporter Jeong Banseok has this exclusive report.

[Reporter]

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

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

There are also photos of them performing the duck walk en masse.

Paju officials explained that they were conducting a physical fitness test for the approximately 300 people gathered at the site.

[Paju Official: It's not like we brought equipment with us or anything; the situation just arose suddenly. We basically told them to try doing 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 municipal official, but the head of a private recruitment agency, a man surnamed Hong.

This was not the first time the duck walk had been used.

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

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

[Esther (Pseudonym) / Philippine Seasonal Worker: Hong said that if we couldn't complete the duck walk, the agricultural cooperative staff would drop us, meaning we couldn't go to Korea. Isn't that something they make you do in prison? Why did the Koreans let them do that? Why didn't they stop it?]

The revised Immigration Act, which went into effect in January this year, prohibits anyone other than the state, local governments, and professional institutions 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.

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

Paju's explanation is different.

[Paju Official: We told the dispatch agency in Concepcion that we wanted to hire some foreign seasonal workers. I didn't even know where Concepcion was. They suggested, why don't you try using this place too, and that's how it happened....]

Officials also lament that it is realistically difficult for local governments, which are 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 are pointing out that the central government should step in instead of local municipalities.

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