South Korean man faces jail for hiding illegal Thai worker’s body

A South Korean court sentenced a pig farm owner to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, for concealing the body of a Thai worker who had been working illegally at the farm for 10 years and died last year.

The body of 67 year old Boonchu was discovered on a mountain in Pocheon City, Gyeonggi province, South Korea, in March 2023. His employer, 60 year old Kim, admitted to abandoning Boonchu’s body after finding him dead in his room.

The Korea Times reported that the Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi province delivered the verdict on July 12, sentencing Kim to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years.

Kim confessed in court that he did not report Boonchu’s death to the authorities because he feared legal repercussions for hiring an illegal foreign worker.

The news agency emphasised that Boonchu died from health issues and that there were no signs of sexual or physical assault on his body.

Boonchu travelled to South Korea on a tourist visa in 2013 and worked illegally at the pig farm for 10 years, earning 1.8 million won (approximately 46,000 baht) per month. He planned to return to Thailand but died before he could do so.

Pictures of the room where Boonchu lived for 10 years were shared on social media in both Thailand and South Korea, sparking criticism as they showed the unsanitary conditions in which he lived.

Many people agreed that these living conditions contributed to his health issues, which ultimately led to his death. Boonchu’s living conditions led his family to sue the employer to seek compensation for their loss.

In addition to his living conditions, many also criticised Boonchu’s working hours, as he had to care for over 1,000 pigs on the farm and worked for more than 12 hours per day.

In a related report, another illegal Thai worker in South Korea was arrested in June after working at a grocery store in Hwaseong City for nearly 12 years. Her arrest went viral on Thai social media because she was livestreaming and talking to her followers shortly before being apprehended.