390 on working holiday fell victim to crimes abroad in last five years: report

Some 200,000 South Koreans took part in working holiday programs abroad over the past five years, and 390 of them fell victim to crime overseas, according to Foreign Ministry data released by a lawmaker on Friday.

Over 65 percent of them, or 254, fell victim in Australia, Rep. Kang Seok-ho of the Liberty Korea Party, who chairs the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and unification, said during the National Assembly audit.

Fifty-two fell victim to crimes in Canada, followed by 41 in the UK.

Seventy-two of the Korean participants in the working holiday programs became perpetrators of crimes overseas.

Sixty-eight percent, or 49 people, committed crimes in Australia, followed by 12 in Japan.

Among the 23 countries that signed agreements on working holiday programs with Korea, Australia does not restrict the number of participants or application period. Over the past five years, 62.8 percent of all overseas working holiday participants headed to Australia.

Five South Koreans on working holiday have been deported, while three fell sick abroad.

Several people did not get paid after working at local companies, while some got into traffic accidents and encountered natural disasters.

“Many of our youth are exposed to risks of exploitation or racial discrimination overseas,” Rep. Kang said.

“The government should look into the details of agreements with the relevant countries and pay more attention to keep the program participants from getting into trouble.”

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)