Migrant workers in rural Korean greenhouses continue working in 39-degree heat as worksite guidelines go ignored
The temperature inside the greenhouse was surpassing 38 degrees Celsius as a Nepali migrant worker, in his 30s and asked to be identified only as A, bent at the waist to pull weeds among the chives, Thursday. "It's hot," he said, his face and blue cotton T-shirt soaked in sweat. It was 2:10 p.m., the hottest part of the day. When asked whether he could take a break, A replied, “My employer says I…
On a scorching Thursday, inside a greenhouse in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, temperatures soared past 38 degrees Celsius. One Nepali migrant worker, referred to as A, was seen laboring to weed among chives, his face and shirt drenched in sweat at 2:10 p.m., the peak of the day's heat. When inquired about taking a break, A asserted, "My employer says I need to keep working."
A severe heat wave warning had been issued across Pocheon that day, but inside the greenhouse, no cooling measures were evident, and a lone fan was nowhere to be found. A, who had been in Korea for three years, worked ten-hour days starting at 6:30 a.m. When the work became too intense, he would retreat to a workstation nearby for a sip of water.
Government guidelines recommend halting all nonessential outdoor work and providing workers breaks every two hours during a severe heat wave. However, these guidelines seemed to be largely ignored at the farm where A was working. Other immigrant workers, seen in twos and threes throughout the day, labored under the same grueling conditions.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.