What Korea Did Was Terrible!

Sinui Island, South Korea, Salt Farm

South Korea, that is. Not North Korea.

North Korea attacks Sony, South Korea turns the other way in the face of slavery.
Obviously it is much worse to hack into the emails of film executives.

In Stars and Stripes today:

Slaves endure 'a living hell' on remote South Korean islands

By FOSTER KLUG, JUNG-YOON CHOI and KIM TONG-HYUNG
The Associated Press
Published: January 1, 2015

... Slavery thrives on this chain of rural islands off South Korea's rugged southwest coast, nurtured by a long history of exploitation and the demands of trying to squeeze a living from the sea.

Five times during the past decade, revelations of slavery involving the disabled have emerged, each time generating national shame and outrage. Kim's case prompted a nationwide government probe during the course of several months last year. Officials searched more than 38,000 salt, fish and agricultural farms and disabled facilities and found more than 100 workers who had received no — or only scant — pay, and more than 100 who had been reported missing by their families.

Yet little has changed on the islands, according to a months-long investigation by the AP based on court and police documents and dozens of interviews with freed slaves, salt farmers, villagers and officials.

Although 50 island farm owners and regional job brokers were indicted, no local police or officials have faced punishment — and national police say none will, despite multiple interviews showing some knew about the slaves and even stopped escape attempts.

Slavery has been so pervasive that regional judges have shown leniency toward several perpetrators. In suspending the prison sentences of two farmers, a court said that "such criminal activities were tolerated as common practice by a large number of salt farms nearby." ...

We still have torture, and torture trumps slavery every time.

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