On October 10, a 23-year-old Vietnamese migrant worker, Nguyen Van Tuan, died in a tragic incident at a gravel processing company in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. His death has sparked critical inquiries about workplace safety practices, particularly why the conveyor belt, which was overloaded, was still operational at the time of the accident. Tuan had come to South Korea to support his family back in Vietnam, living an ordinary life while sending money home each month, raising concerns about the isolation he faced during this fatal work incident.

At the time of the accident, Tuan was instructed to check an overloaded conveyor belt alone. According to workplace safety protocols, the machine should have been stopped, yet it continued to operate without any emergency stop mechanisms or protective gear in place, or even coworkers to assist him. This situation ultimately led to a life being tragically consumed by the machinery, emphasizing a failure in the systemic safety measures expected in such work environments.

The incident illustrates not just an industrial accident, but a deeper structural issue within South Korean society, where the lives of migrant workers are often devalued in favor of efficiency and profits. Faced with barriers like language and systemic limitations, migrant workers find it difficult to refuse dangerous tasks or oppose unfair directives. The current employment permission system (E-9) tightens these constraints, leading to scenarios where workers feel disposable and voiceless. Alarmingly, Tuan’s death is part of a larger trend, with nine migrant worker fatalities reported this year alone, suggesting a broader pattern of disregard for worker safety in the industry's pursuit of profit.