Comment by Eextra953

Comment by Eextra953 7 hours ago

9 replies

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Clearly this is a huge deal for Korea, their news sites have been talking about it non-stop since it happened and they've zeroed in on the humiliation and treatment of their people. The workers arrested weren't just laborers they were skilled labor and engineers which is another point they keep coming to. I've seen stories point out how they were shackled and forced to lick water from plates. As a tech worker in manufacturing I know that the entire industry depends on cross-training and manufacturing with other countries, sending engineers to and from is everyday practice. If the administration keeps with their policies then manufacturing will be affected negatively.

geraldalewis 7 hours ago

> weren't just laborers

I'm trying to read that in a charitable way: you're pointing out that, to a person who is fine with being cruel to laborers, they might not be comfortable with the cruelty and humiliation if it impacts people they might find deserving of respect and decency, yeah?

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  • yongjik 16 minutes ago

    I'm roughly in the same camp and my take is: it's wrong when you're being cruel to migrant workers from poor countries willing to work for pennies.

    It's also wrong, but not just that, it's wrong and stupid when you do the same thing to employees of a multi-national corporation building a factory that was going to be a major economic boost to your town.

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  • em-bee 5 hours ago

    yes, this is korean culture (and other asian countries too)

    we also expect white collar workers to be treated differently than blue collar workers. even if we agree that this particular treatment is unacceptable for both.

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  • [removed] 6 hours ago
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wrp 4 hours ago

My Korean colleagues have been asking me to explain this case to them, and I haven't been able to dig up enough reliable info to give much of an answer. I do think I can give a less inflammatory explanation for the shackling, though.

ICE sweeps mostly pick up undocumented laborers in the fields and factories. The people have nothing to lose by trying to run away, as they as just going to be deported anyway. So it stands to reason they would be restrained upon arrest. Documented workers on the other hand have a great deal to lose by further aggravating their situation. It is extremely unlikely that a documented worker would try to run away. However, I expect that ICE has to use the same procedures on all demographic groups to avoid charges racial discrimination.

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second_brekkie 7 hours ago

Can you share the link to the 'plate licking' article? It's ok if it's in Korean.

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  • perihelions 7 hours ago

    It could be this one? (I used DeepL for translation)

    > "With his hands and waist bound together, he had to lower his head and lap at the water..."

    https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/1218653.... ("Not even a scrap of cloth in the toilet, not even a protest… What have we done wrong? / Human rights violations reported by detained workers")

    Or possibly this adjacent one,

    https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/1218738.... ("Spider carcass found in drinking water at Korean detention facility… Guard mocks inmate: ‘You'll be Spider-Man, won't you?’"

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  • Eextra953 7 hours ago

    On time.com article is titled: 'Nobody Is Going to Stay and Work When It’s Like This’: South Koreans Reluctant to Return After Harrowing ICE Detention'

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