International Underground

Many if not all popular guide books about Korea mention the Filipino Market in Seoul’s Hyewhadong, including Lonely Planet, and Rough Guide. In a cultural that emphasizes it’s so-called single race, Hyewha sticks out as a landmark. Our team of journalists decided to venture out to the market one weekend, not to eat delicious Filipino food or buy Filipino goods (though we did do that), but to see what this market was all about. We wondered why this market only exists on Sundays, why is it in Hyewha, and is this just the tip of a massive iceberg? Of course, it was. Over the following three months we spent a considerable amount of time talking to migrant laborers, community organizers, as well as fathers and mothers, working abroad to help at home. In this International Underground podcast you will hear from some of those people who are working on the forefront of an ongoing battle regarding the Employment Permit System, complicated by language and cultural barriers. The system was put into place by a man many now know as the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon. According to our sources, Mr. Ban wanted to make Korea’s the premier standard for imported labor policy in the world. Despite what is written on paper, many problems still remain. Continue reading →