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Today's (10.26) Korea Times wrote: Migrant Workers Speak Out On-Air By Kim Tong-hyung Staff Reporter Television is often referred to as a window on the world. However, for many of migrant workers in South Korea, who struggle to improve working conditions and social acceptance, that window rarely portrays the realities of their everyday lives. Other than the debates about their socioeconomic status, the lives and culture of Korea’s 400,00 migrant workers have garnered little attention from the news media This lack of interest is surprising, considering the rapid growth of their numbers and their pivotal role in the country’s economy. Now a group of migrant workers and labor-rights activists are pushing for a new television network that intends to portray the daily experiences of foreign workers and immigrants from their own perspective. The creators hope that their television programs will offer a medium for migrant workers to discuss their issues and provide an alternative to the conventional media coverage of foreign labor. ``The mainstream media has been failing to astutely cover the daily experiences and challenges migrant workers face in Korea today. A part of the problems is that migrant workers have limited channels to discuss their issues and create their own voice, which is the main reason why we decided to advance to television,’’ said Minod Moktam, who co-heads the Migrant Workers Television (MWTV), which went on-air April 16. Moktam is also a reporter, commentator and an anchor for the Nepalese news reports for the television network. ``We also want to show Korean viewers the realities of our daily lives, our fight against the government’s deportation policies and our struggles to improve working conditions in the factory and to search for justice in society,’’ said the Nepalese factory worker, who has been living in Korea since 1992. The MWTV provides its programs to local broadcaster RTV, a channel listed on the SkyLife satellite television network. MWTV relies on 15 volunteer workers from several different countries to manage all television programming, including writing, reporting and filming stories and producing and directing programs. The network provides three 60-minute programs per month to RTV, including two news reports and a talk show-format commentary program taking an in-depth look at the latest issues. The news reports are provided in five different languages _ English, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Burmese and Mongolian. MWTV is planning to add an Indonesian news report sometime next month. ``All of us have our own daily jobs and live in different places whether in Seoul or other cities, so it’s quite challenging to come in every other week and produce the programs. Analyzing news materials and converting them into different languages often becomes laborious considering the limited time that is given to us,’’ he said. MWTV plans to give breadth and depth to its offerings eventually creating programs that cover education, culture and entertainment. The creators are especially high on the potential of the television network’s educational function in helping migrant workers develop their collective identity and social consciousness. ``With Korea’s foreign communities becoming mature, the social challenges they face extends beyond the workplace. We are planning to add cultural and educational programs about different countries in their own languages, which will also help reconnect their children with the culture of their motherland,’’ said Kim Byung-han, a Korean art exhibition planner who is among the directors of the television network. ``We are also discussing ways to make more sophisticated the formats of our current programs and find ways to enhance the participation of the foreign community,’’ he said. However, there seems to be a long and tough road ahead for MWTV to meet such expectations. The television network is running solely on subsidies provided by the state-run Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC), which provides them just 2 million won per month. The financial difficulties make it impossible to hire staff with technical and professional skills in broadcasting, which inevitably hurts the quality and creativity of the on-air programs. With production relying entirely on volunteers, it’s hard to get consistency in reporting and in the directions of the programs. Kim also points out that limited network exposure is a problem, with many migrant workers in low-income brackets not being able to afford satellite television. ``It would be nice for us if we could find a way to get through to cable networks. We aren’t even dreaming about getting help from land-based channels,’’ he said. Perhaps the largest obstacle preventing MWTV from getting on the right track is the vulnerable status of the migrant workers in Korea. According to government statistics, more than half of the Korea’s migrant workers are illegal immigrants, either overstaying their permitted periods or working here with tourists visas. Civil rights advocates argue that unfavorable working conditions and the government’s inflexible immigration policies have been aggravating the situation for migrant workers here. With the government’s recent crackdown on illegal immigrants, it has become more difficult for MWTV to represent people who are forced to live in silence. ``There were several occasions when our reporters or other supporters were arrested on the spot by immigration police and deported. It’s hard to make news programs about migrant workers when you often cannot ask a reporter to leave the house,’’ said Kim. For more information on MWTV, visit its Internet site at www.mwtv.or.kr or call (02) 6366-0621.