Korea Grants Residence and Support Measures in Two Foreign Worker Cases

South Korea’s Ministry of Justice has approved residence and support measures in two separate cases involving foreign workers: one concerning a worker requiring long-term treatment after workplace violence, and another involving a Sri Lankan worker who helped rescue an Air Force pilot.

The decisions were discussed at the 32nd Council for the Protection of Foreigners’ Human Rights and Promotion of Their Interests on April 10, 2026, with government agencies, academic specialists and legal experts.

Support for the worker injured in an air-gun assault

The ministry decided to allow the worker injured through an employer’s use of a high-pressure air gun to change to G-1 miscellaneous residence status. If requested and approved, the worker may also receive permission to engage in activities outside the original status so that lawful employment can continue during recovery.

The Suwon Smile Center is expected to provide psychological counseling. A one-stop solution center will remain in contact and connect the individual with support that may include legal aid through the Korea Legal Aid Corporation and Legal Home Doctor program, crime-victim relief for serious injury, and interpretation or translation.

Immigration relief for the Sri Lankan rescuer

In a separate decision, the ministry agreed to waive an immigration-related penalty and grant G-1 status to a Sri Lankan migrant worker who helped rescue a pilot after an emergency ejection during an Air Force fighter aircraft accident in the Yellow Sea in August 2022.

The two cases have different facts and legal grounds. The first measure addresses recovery and legal support for a victim of violence, while the second considers the worker’s rescue action and immigration circumstances.

How foreign residents can seek help

The ministry said its Immigrant Rights Protection Task Force will conduct on-site reviews in serious cases involving wage exploitation, workplace harassment or violence.

The Immigration Contact Center at 1345 receives human-rights reports and consultations in 20 languages. The ministry plans to link 1345 with one-stop and crime-victim support channels so that foreign residents can obtain immigration, legal, interpretation and recovery assistance more efficiently.

What victims and supporters should know

• Call 112 for immediate danger or police assistance and 119 for emergency medical or rescue services.
• The 1345 Immigration Contact Center can provide multilingual guidance on immigration and rights-related concerns.
• G-1 status and permission to work outside the original status are decided case by case, not granted automatically.
• Keep medical records, contracts, wage records, messages and reports when safe, but do not make dangerous contact solely to collect evidence.
• Unrelated statistics about students of a particular nationality should be removed from this article.