On 28 October 2024, Tuan (25, female), a Vietnamese migrant worker at a car-parts factory in Seongsu Industrial Complex, Daegu, fell to her death while hiding to avoid an immigration raid. The raid was part of a government joint enforcement operation carried out ahead of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit, and migrant-rights, labour, and civil-society groups across the country have called urgently for an immediate end to forced raids and for those responsible to be held accountable.

What Happened

On 28 October 2024, the Daegu Korea Immigration Service office carried out a crackdown on undocumented migrant workers at a car-parts manufacturing factory in Dalseo-gu’s Seongsu Industrial Complex. During the operation, Tuan (25, female), a Vietnamese national, fell from a height of three storeys while hiding to avoid the officers and died from her injuries.

Tuan had graduated from Keimyung University and was preparing to enter a graduate programme. She did have a valid visa, but it was a job-seeking visa (D-10), which does not permit employment in manufacturing, so she became a target of the raid.

Tuan had been working at the factory for only two weeks. She saw on social media that enforcement vehicles were in the factory yard and, assuming the raid was still ongoing, felt unable to leave the building. Her final messages, sent to a co-worker over social media just before she died, read: “I’m scared” and “I can barely breathe.”

Background: Why This Raid Took Place

The operation was part of a wider government joint crackdown on undocumented migrants carried out around the time of the APEC summit in Gyeongju. Civil-society groups condemned the government, asking: “Is it acceptable in a democratic country that respects human rights to conduct government joint crackdowns in order to ‘clean up’ undocumented migrants as a pretext for APEC?”

A Tragedy That Keeps Repeating

This was not an isolated accident. From 2003 to 2025, at least 33 migrant workers have died or been seriously injured in connection with Ministry of Justice enforcement operations. Tuan’s death was the sixth known case of harm caused by forced raids in 2024 alone.

What Civil Society Is Demanding

Civil-society groups argue that the Ministry of Justice does not even follow its own internal human-rights guidelines during raids. They say the operation failed to take safety measures against falls as required by those guidelines, and that officers entered the factory without obtaining the employer’s consent.

The groups also raised questions about whether raid teams receive proper training on due process, human-rights protection, and accident prevention, and pointed to cases where people were detained without being informed of their rights or having their visa status verified.

The key demands from civil-society groups are:

  • An official government apology and full investigation: Acknowledgement of responsibility for Tuan’s death
  • Accountability: Punishment of those responsible, including the head of the Daegu Korea Immigration Service office
  • An immediate halt to forced raids: An end to violent enforcement methods
  • Transparency: Full disclosure of all that happened during the raid on that day
  • Pathways to regularisation: A system allowing long-term residents to obtain lawful immigration status
  • Guaranteed basic rights: Protection of labour rights and safety rights for all migrant workers, regardless of visa status

What Happened Next: Workers’ Compensation Recognition and a Ministry Apology

Following sustained pressure from Tuan’s family and civil society, the Ministry of Justice met with the family and the emergency response committee on 31 December 2024, issued a formal apology, and pledged to reform its enforcement policies. Then, on 13 February 2025, the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service officially recognised Tuan’s death as an industrial accident. That was 108 days after she died.

However, even after the Ministry of Justice’s apology, no concrete changes to forced-raid practices have been confirmed.

”No Human Being Is Illegal”

Migrant-rights groups repeat once more: no person is illegal. No one’s dignity and safety should be put at risk because of their visa status. Building a society where every migrant who works, studies, and lives in Korea can do so safely requires a shift away from violent enforcement and toward an immigration system grounded in human rights.

After losing his daughter, Tuan’s father staged a sit-in in front of the Presidential Office and performed 108 bows in front of the former Blue House, calling for an end to deaths like his daughter’s.

For his wish to become reality, continued attention and solidarity are needed.

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