South Korea is changing how it honours foreign workers who die on the job. The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (K-Comwel) has started a pilot scheme to expand funeral support for deceased foreign workers, with plans to institutionalise the aid through reforms [1].
Foreign workers make up about 3.5% of South Korea’s workforce but represent over 10% of annual workplace fatalities, highlighting a disproportionate risk faced by migrants [1]. The pilot programme aims to provide more respectful and comprehensive farewells for families from abroad.
The new scheme debuted in March 2026 with a memorial farewell for 23-year-old Vietnamese worker Nguyen Van Tuan at Incheon International Airport. Nguyen died in a conveyor belt accident at a gravel factory in Icheon, Gyeonggi province, around 10 days before the ceremony [1]. Park Jong-kil of K-Comwel said, "The language was different, but the grief was the same," reflecting the agency’s effort to acknowledge the shared pain despite cultural differences [1].
The government intends to formalise and expand this support through upcoming reforms, signalling a shift in addressing the needs of foreign workers’ families after workplace tragedies [1].
