Migrant Workers Rally in Downtown Seoul: "Eliminate Discrimination and Guarantee Rights"

March from Seoul Labor Office to Cheong Wa Dae
"Freedom to Change Workplaces Must Be Guaranteed"

Migrant workers held a rally in downtown Seoul to demand the guarantee of freedom to change workplaces and the establishment of measures to eliminate discrimination against migrant workers.

On the 13th, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held the "National Migrant Workers Rally" in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office. Yonhap News

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held the '2026 KCTU National Migrant Workers Rally' at around 2 p.m. on September 13 in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Under the current Employment Permit System, migrant workers who enter Korea must work for the employer with whom they first sign a contract. They are only allowed to change workplaces for reasons specified by law, such as violations of the employment contract by the employer. The number of times they can change workplaces is also restricted. Migrant workers argue that this system limits their choices and makes it difficult for them to escape poor working conditions.

In his opening address, Yang Kyungsu, head of the KCTU, stressed, "With each passing year, what continues to increase is not the rights of migrant workers, but the number of those who have fallen victim to industrial accidents. We must move toward a society where even the most basic rights—such as the freedom to change workplaces—are protected."

Udaya Rai, head of the Migrants' Trade Union and originally from Nepal, stated, "All migrant labor systems—including the Employment Permit System, seasonal work, skilled labor, and seafarer employment—deprive workers of the freedom to change workplaces and make choices." He called for the "full guarantee of freedom to change workplaces and the implementation of an alternative labor permit system that secures human and labor rights."

In their resolution, participants stated, "Exploitation and discrimination against migrant workers, as well as fatalities from industrial accidents, heat waves, and heat-related illnesses, persist. It has been one year since the president classified discrimination and violence against migrant workers as serious crimes and ordered countermeasures, yet no fundamental solution has been proposed."

After the rally, the KCTU marched from the Seoul Employment and Labor Office to the Sarangchae near the former presidential office in Cheong Wa Dae.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.