13th Migrant Worker Dies in Icheon Factory Accident

A 23-year-old Vietnamese worker died after becoming trapped in a conveyor belt at a gravel processing plant in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. The accident occurred in the early hours of the 10th of this month. Tuan was reportedly checking the conveyor belt when he went under the machinery and met his end. He was alone at the scene at the time.

Tuan was the eldest son, responsible for supporting his eight-member family after his father was injured in a construction accident. He chose to come to Korea to escape poverty. On the 15th of last month, he visited his hometown and reunited with his family whom he hadn't seen in a long time. It was his first return home in three years, but just one month later, he returned as remains.

His aunt, Tran Thi Huong, who received his remains at Noi Bai International Airport in Vietnam on the 20th of this month, said, "He was such a healthy and spirited boy when he left for Korea, and now he has returned as just a handful of ashes." She added, "How can I possibly express this heartbreak in words?" Tuan's younger brother, Nguyen Van Tu, stated, "We earnestly hope that no Vietnamese compatriot in Korea will ever have to experience such a tragedy as our family has."

This brings the number of confirmed migrant worker fatalities at worksites this year to 13.