South Korean court jails factory owner for Thai worker assault

A South Korean court sentenced a metal-cleaning plant owner to three years in prison on Thursday over an assault that injured a Thai worker, according to a Yonhap report cited by the Bangkok Post.

The case drew national attention in South Korea after the Feb. 20 attack at a factory about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, and President Lee Jae Myung commented on the need to protect workers' rights.

The Suwon District Court convicted the employer, a man in his 60s, of assault and breaching the Labour Standards Act. The Thai employee, in his 40s, had overstayed his visa, the Bangkok Post reported.

The worker was injured when a compressed-air hose nozzle was inserted into his anus and activated for seven seconds, Yonhap reported. He later underwent surgery at a hospital in Suwon, the capital of Gyeonggi Province.

The factory owner denied the accusations and argued he did not intend to injure the worker. The court also said the employer deducted the man's medical expenses from his wages, according to Yonhap.

The case grabbed national attention in South Korea after the employer allegedly threatened to send the Thai worker home over his visa status instead of taking him to hospital. The court dismissed a charge against the employer's wife, who had been accused of intimidating the worker by indicating he would be handed to police for deportation.

Source: News report, Bangkok Post, Oct. 19, 2026.