CINA

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Since my first contact with the migrant workers movement in S. Korea in spring 2002 (via ETU-MB/평등노조 이주지부, MTU's predecessor organization) I assumed that - at least - in case of a prospective North-South reunification a dark future for the migrant workers in S. Korea...

And today, as far as I know, the S. Korean media (via DailyNK) connected for the first time the "imminent" reunification process with a planned deportation of almost ALL migrant workers.

Under the headline "If Sudden Change Happens in NK" DailyNK reported the following:

On the 24th the Korea Employers Federation(KEF) in the report ‘Labor Market Changes and Policy Challenges After Reunification’ asserted that if change occurs and a radical unification happens, it could lead to a situation where many North Koreans come to South Korea, resulting in social economic chaos. The KEF claimed that South Korea is capable of only taking up to 2,220,000 North Koreans.

...the report stated that North Koreans coming to the South... South Korea needs to suggest alternative policies to reduce foreign worker dependency.

According to the KEF, the unmet reinforcement in domestic low-skill workers is 86,000 people. The target can be met by the 344,000 North Korean workers.

Based on figures from October of last year, there were 497,000 non-professional foreign workers in South Korea and 175,000 illegal aliens. If 70% of these workers were to be replaced by North Korean workers then 47,000(*) North Koreans can be recruited, according to the Korea Employers Federation.

If the low skilled workers and non-professional foreign workers were to be replaced by North Korean workers (including the dependents) around 222,000 North Korean workers can be accommodated in South Korea...

* This number in the English article is of course wrong! In the Korean text ("급진통일시 북주민 365만명 내려올 수 있다"): "47만 명...", i.e. 470,000 N. Koreans (could replace migrant workers)