A Thai worker died in Korea’s heat wave. How many more migrant workers’ deaths go uncounted?

On July 25, at 3:25 pm, an ambulance rushed to Hwangsan, in Haenam County, South Jeolla Province, in South Korea. A 37-year-old Thai worker, Nakhon Saensawat, had been lying on a hot asphalt road for at least 10 minutes by the time help arrived. The temperature outside was 33.3°C (91.94°F), but the ground heat was well over 50°C (122°F).

Paramedic Jeong Jae-seok, who had 16 years of experience, measured Nakhon’s temperature but could not give a definitive reading, as it exceeded 42°C. Nakhon, who had arrived in Korea just six days prior, was experiencing severe heatstroke symptoms. He had begun working in tobacco and cabbage fields the day before his death, earning a daily wage of 110,000 won (US$77).

Despite three people working in the cabbage field, Nakhon suffered a heat-related death. While 30 people in Korea had died from heat-related illnesses so far this summer, Nakhon's death was not included in these statistics. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's data, used to calculate excess heat-related deaths, relies on voluntary reports from 516 emergency rooms, potentially leaving undocumented migrant workers unaccounted for.

The cause of death statistics are only available for Korean nationals. Nakhon arrived in Korea on a tourist visa on July 20 and arrived in Mokpo on July 22 after traveling by KTX train. He stayed in a poorly maintained house with no air conditioning or fans, and had only a bottle of water for sustenance. The Haenam County Office issued emergency alerts and broadcasts throughout the day, but their measures were not enough to save Nakhon, who had only been in Korea for six days.