Applicants Forced to Do Duck Walks... "Fail and You're Out": What Happened

[Anchor]

Local governments these days are sending officials overseas directly to recruit so-called seasonal workers to fill labor shortages during the farming season. However, an absurd incident occurred in the Philippines where applicants were made to do duck walks en masse.

Reporter Jeong Banseok investigated exclusively.

[Reporter]

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

They show Paju City, Gyeonggi Province, recruiting seasonal workers, with applicants standing in lines, raising both arms, or lying on the ground.

There are also photos of them doing duck walks together as a group.

Paju City explained that it was conducting physical fitness tests for the roughly 300 people gathered at the site.

[Paju City Official: It is not like we brought equipment or anything, but since such a situation suddenly arose, they just said, "Try doing about 10 push-ups" or "Walk a few steps in a duck walk." That is how it happened.]

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

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

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

A Filipino seasonal worker who came to Ansung, 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 could not complete the duck walk, the agricultural cooperative staff would drop us and we would not be able to go to Korea. This is something they make people do in prison. Why did Koreans let them do that? Why didn't they stop it?]

The revised Immigration Act, which went into effect in January of 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 take cuts in 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 City's explanation is different.

[Paju City Official: We told the dispatch agency in Concepcion that we would also like to hire some foreign seasonal workers. I did not even know where Concepcion was. They suggested, "Why don't you try using this place as well?"]

Local governments that are unfamiliar with local conditions also express frustration that direct recruitment is realistically difficult.

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

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

(Video Reporter: Bae Moon-san, Yang Hyun-chul | Video Editing: Lee Sang-min | Design: Choi Ha-neul | Source: Concepcion, Philippines, and Bombo Radyo SNS)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.