Going to be a “illegal immigrant” in South Korea, knowing it’s wrong but still wanting to go.
It must be admitted that there are a large number of Thais who illegally enter South Korea to work by posing as tourists. In the past, the South Korean and Thai authorities have tried to coordinate to stop those who illegally go to work in Korea, but it is not possible to handle all of them. This action means that those who want to enter as illegal workers will also affect Thais who really want to travel who may be affected and unable to enter Korea.
For those who go through immigration, “Once they go through immigration, they scatter in all directions, leaving us standing in the middle of the airport, confused,” said a Thai guide who took a Thai tour สมัคร UFABET วันนี้ รับเครดิตฟรีสำหรับสมาชิกใหม่ group to South Korea, which allows Thais to stay without a visa for 90 days without a visa. As a result, over the past 4-5 years, South Korea has become a destination for illegal workers who enter the country as tourists before becoming “illegal workers” who sell their labor in gardens, factories, and massage parlors.
Because they do not need a visa, they can earn 2-3 times more from selling their labor than in Thailand. In addition, finding a job is very easy. Just find a Facebook page and search for “find a job in Korea” and you can choose the job and compensation you want. As for whether the picture matches the cover photo or whether you will be able to successfully pass through immigration at Incheon Airport, It’s a matter of luck.
Why do Thais like to go to Korea?
The answer to this question is not too difficult. “Money” is the only answer. This is because the wages in South Korea are quite good. Recently, when scrolling through social media content, especially on the TikTok app, you’ll see a lot of videos about working in Korea popping up on your feed from our friends and relatives. The content can be divided into 2-3 topics: One is the life of Thai workers in South Korea, including their living conditions and monthly income. Most of them boast about good salaries and having millions in savings. This certainly encourages Thais to want to work there.
Then the next question is, if they really want to work, why don’t they go legally? Go legally so that they don’t have to hide and cause trouble for Thai tourists or people who really intend to work. It’s like the Thai saying “One rotten fish spoils the whole basket.” So what are the “illegal workers” (illegal immigrants) who sneak into South Korea to work illegally? Do they really pay as high as they say? Let’s find out. Work
in gardens and farms
A labor recruiting page on Facebook even announced that: “Soon you will need a visa to enter Korea. Who will come? Hurry up and come.” Along with announcing flight schedules to recruit people to work in gardens and farms. Most of the work will involve picking and looking after produce that does not require much skill but requires physical exertion.
Isn’t there any such work in Thailand? The answer is that the compensation in South Korea is much higher than advertised, around 30,000-40,000 Thai baht per month. This makes many people take the risk to go work in South Korea. But in reality, the salary may not be the full amount. Some may be deducted as broker fees or employers may deduct some for the employees’ personal expenses. But no one cares about this. Just let them go first and see what happens later.
Work in a small factory
In South Korea, there are small factories scattered throughout the country. But the number of laborers is not enough to meet the needs of the factories. So they often accept foreign workers in the form of legal skilled workers, but there are also many illegal workers who sneak in to work.
Illegal workers are at great risk in terms of welfare because they work in factories without any welfare protection. In fact, they have no name or identity. If an accident or illness occurs from work, the employer does not have to take any responsibility. They will even call the Immigration Bureau to deal with the incompetent workers and force them to leave their factories.
However, with the income figures advertised on the illegal labor brokers’ pages as high as 50,000-60,000 baht per month. There are many Thai workers who sneak into factories to work illegally. Many are willing to take the risk because they think that they will just make money and go home. Which in reality may not be the case.
Housekeeping
is a career in high demand in South Korea. Most of the jobs offered are medium to small hotels. Because it is difficult to find Koreans to do this type of work. Meanwhile, the incentive of wages has led some Thai workers to enter the housekeeping profession. However, this type of work involves the risk of having an employer who is ready to work 24 hours a day , not to mention holidays. At the same time, they may not get the agreed-upon wages and there is also the risk of being sexually harassed.
However, housekeeping jobs in South Korea still have high incomes compared to those in Thailand, which are similar to domestic workers. It will be around 30,000-40,000 baht, which does not include brokerage fees and daily expenses.
Massage work only, massage + special work, and special work only.
The popularity of Thai massage can be said to be a worldwide trend. Even in South Africa, Thai massage shops are as popular as Thai restaurants. In South Korea, there are many massage shops open 24 hours a day in nightlife areas. At the same time, the compensation for massage work is much higher than farm work, factory work, or housekeeping work.
Massage work only costs 60,000 baht or more per month, while massage work + special work (with sexual services included, depending on the agreement) will earn even higher incomes. Special work only or sex work, the income is so high that people who see the numbers are willing to take the dark path. All of
these are popular jobs for Thai workers who are willing to risk going to work illegally in South Korea because of the allure of the compensation figures. Whoever sees it does not want to think too much because the wages in Thailand cannot be given that much. But if you look at it from another perspective, if you escape to work illegally abroad, you will not receive any care if you get injured from work or get sick while working.
At the same time, the living conditions that require people to live in cramped conditions in order to save money, when it comes to this, it can be seen that the wages, which may be 2-3 times higher than in Thailand, are unlikely to be worth the quality of life that must be lost. Especially for some cases where employers seize their passports or use them inhumanely, it is like living in hell.
Staying in Thailand, working in Thailand, and knowing how to manage your own income well, along with developing your own labor skills, should be a better solution than going to the front and thinking only about making money. Because if that were true, you would not have to use illegal immigration to get a job.