Global Migration: Status of S. Korean Migrant Workers

Here is a helpful little snapshot of the working conditions of migrant workers in Korea. According to Lee Cheol-seung, the head of the Office of the Gyeongnam Migrant Worker’s Council, migrant workers' "working conditions hover just above the level of slavery.” This is the point of supporting open migration: these workers are obviously necessary for the South Korean economy (otherwise they wouldn't be here), but because they are not given citizenship they are not given the rights afforded to citizens. It is worth noting that this figures appear to be for legal migrant workers, that is, resident aliens. God knows what the situation is like in Korea for illegal workers.

The Birds Cough!

Bird flu hits Seoul! Stay indoors and away from windows! The birds are no longer the birds you knew. They must be killed on sight, the brains destroyed or severed from the spinal cord and the corpses burned. When there is no more room in Hell, the bodies of the birds....

You get the idea.

UPDATE: Here is a better article explaining the situation.