"Did I do something wrong? Then say I did" ... Man in his 50s given suspended sentence for tying migrant worker to forklift and dragging him around

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[The Financial News] A Korean worker in his 50s who subjected a migrant worker to abuse, including tying him to a forklift with industrial plastic wrap and lifting him into the air, received a suspended prison sentence at first instance.
On the 27th, Judge Seo Ji-hye of the Gwangju District Court's Single-Judge Criminal Division 4 sentenced A, 54, who had been indicted on charges including unlawful confinement and violations of the Labor Standards Act, to one year in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered 180 hours of community service.
The court also fined the brick factory corporation 5 million won for allegedly failing to address workplace bullying.
A was brought to trial for allegedly tying his co-worker, B, a 32-year-old migrant worker from Sri Lanka, together with a pile of bricks using industrial plastic wrap at a brick factory in Naju, South Jeolla Province, on Feb. 26 last year, then lifting him up to a height of 2 meters with a forklift and dragging him around for about 10 meters.
It was found that A committed the act because he believed B was not skilled enough at his job.
In video footage taken at the scene, A can be heard shouting at B, who was hanging in the air, "Did I do something wrong? Then say I did," sparking public outrage.
As the backlash grew after the video was released, President Lee Jae-myung also expressed public regret, calling it "unacceptable violence against the weak."
After the incident, the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) conducted a labor inspection at the workplace in August last year.
As a result, it found unpaid wages totaling 29 million won owed to 21 workers, including eight foreign nationals, and restricted the hiring of new foreign workers for up to three years under the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers.
It also imposed a 3 million won fine for workplace bullying. B, the victim, was initially at risk of forced deportation after the incident, but was later rehired at another workplace in the Gwangju Industrial Complex with support from labor authorities.
Judge Seo said, "The victim must have felt extreme humiliation and mental anguish because of this case." She added, "However, I took into account for sentencing that the defendant deeply reflected on the offense, reached a settlement with the victim, and that the victim does not wish for punishment."
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sms@fnnews.com Seong Min-seo Reporter