Jeongeup Returns Passports Held From 60 Seasonal Migrant Workers
The southwestern city acknowledged retaining foreign seasonal workers’ passports to discourage workplace departures, called the practice an administrative mistake and returned all 60 documents.
A city government in southwestern South Korea has returned passports it had retained from 60 foreign seasonal workers after acknowledging that the documents were held to discourage the workers from leaving their assigned workplaces.
Officials in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, kept the passport of one seasonal worker from the Philippines for more than four months. That worker was among 60 foreign nationals whose travel documents were retained by the municipal government.
Jeongeup participates in a government-run seasonal worker program designed to help farming and fishing communities address labor shortages during periods of peak demand. Foreign nationals admitted through the program work in Korea for limited periods and are assigned to participating workplaces.
City officials initially said the passports had been held under an agreement with the Philippine government. They later acknowledged that the measure was intended to prevent workers from leaving their workplaces, pointing to previous cases in which seasonal workers had departed without notice. Officials also argued that the workers would need their passports only when leaving South Korea.
An employer involved in the seasonal worker program defended the retention of the documents, saying workers might otherwise leave without warning. A city official was also quoted blaming the affected worker’s conduct for the situation.
The Ministry of Justice identifies the withholding of seasonal workers’ passports as a possible indicator of human rights violations. A passport is a worker’s primary identity and travel document, making its retention by an employer or local authority a serious issue beyond routine workplace administration.
Jeongeup described the episode as an administrative mistake despite admitting that the passports were retained to deter workplace departures. The city has now returned all 60 documents.
The case highlights the tension within South Korea’s seasonal labor system between rural employers’ need for a stable workforce and the obligation of public authorities to protect the rights of foreign workers. Measures intended to prevent workers from leaving assigned jobs remain subject to human rights safeguards, including the Justice Ministry’s warning signs for potential abuse.
The return of the passports resolves the immediate restriction on the affected workers’ access to their documents. The city’s acknowledgment also places attention on how local governments and participating employers administer the seasonal worker program and respond when workers leave placements.