ACRC and Ombudsman Thailand hear grievances of fifty thai workers in Korea

The ACRC and the Ombudsman Thailand jointly held a grievance hearing of 50 Thai workers in Korea

March 17, 2019

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission

The Republic of Korea

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Pak Un Jong) held a grievance hearing of Thai workers in Korea, jointly with the Thai Ombudsman delegation headed by Chief Ombudsman General Viddhavat Rajatanun, and Ambassador to Korea Mr. Sington Lapasatepun, at Wat Buddharansee Seoul located in Hwasung City, Gyeonggi-do Province, on March 17, 2019.

* Thai Buddhist temple in Korea

Around 50 Thai workers living in Korea attended the meeting, talking about grievances they suffered in Korea in various areas including labor issues, such as late payment, and immigration issues. The ACRC and the Ombudsman Thailand discussed how to resolve them.

The ACRC’s onsite outreach bus, Mobile Shinmungo Bus, consulted and received individual Thai workers’ complaints on site.

The two Ombudsman Institutions agreed to strengthen cooperation to resolve the complaints filed on site.

Kwon Kun-sang, Director General for Ombudsman Bureau of the ACRC said, “This Thai worker grievance hearing, co-hosted by the ACRC and Ombudsman Thailand, was a good opportunity to hear difficulties of Thai workers in Korea. This meeting was especially meaningful because foreign workers, who often have difficulties in lodging complaints, could file their complaints on site”. He added, “The ACRC will expand cooperation with the Ombudsman Thailand, serving as an exemplary ombudsman agency in resolving grievances of nationals living abroad.”

Meanwhile, the delegation of Thai Ombudsman visited the ACRC on March 18 and received from ACRC officials lectures of “Complaint Big Data at a Glance” and “Complaint Mediation Cases.”

Since signing an MOU on cooperation in December 2011, the two institutions have maintained a close cooperation in various areas by holding policy briefings and cooperative meetings to strengthen both agencies’ complaint handling capacities and to protect interests and rights of citizens living in each other nation.