Minod Moktan

Minod Moktan, better known as Minu (Korean: 미누) is a Nepali human rights activist and singer. In 2003, he founded the Korean rock band Stop Crackdown, which became a cultural symbol of migrant workers' struggles within the broader social movements of Korea. Through Stop Crackdown and work with groups such as Migrant Workers TV, Minu advocated for better working conditions and fairer judicial treatment of migrant workers by the South Korean government. In 2009, Minu was deported to Nepal.

Arrival in Korea

Minu came to Korea as an undocumented migrant worker in the early 1990s, using a tourist visa.[1] Minu became prominent for his singing, winning a talent competition on KBS and a writing award from the Ministry of Culture in the late 1990s.[2][3]

Stop Crackdown

Stop Crackdown is a rock band, founded in 2003 by Minu and a group of migrant workers from Southeast Asia. Their lyrics, typically in Korean, deal with the working conditions in Korean factories, as well as the discrimination faced by illegal migrants. One song alludes to 1970s activist Jeon Tae-il with the line "Did you think foreign migrant workers were just machines who only work?"[4] Another song, "Payday", is reminiscent of the Korean musical "Light of a Factory" with its lyrics about having one's pay withheld.[2]

Stop Crackdown became a prominent cultural voice of migrant workers, and they frequently appeared at rallies associated with the Minjung movement. Jamie Doucette and Robert Prey emphasize this connection with Minjung, and describe Stop Crackdown as a powerful symbol of migrants' rights. Minu in particular became a prominent figure, speaking often at universities despite his undocumented status.[2][3]

Arrest and Deportation

In 2004, groups supporting migrant workers came together to form Migrant Workers' Television (MWTV), an organization that produced programs to advocate for pro-migrant policy. As part of the earlier grassroots movements, Stop Crackdown and Minu were part of the initial support for the organization, and Minu anchored the monthly panel program WMV.[5]

On October 8, 2009, Minu was arrested by immigration police as he was entering the MWTV building. He was detained from October 8 until his deportation on October 25.[3] His arrest drew outcry from migrants' groups such as MWTV, as well as Amnesty International, which called on the government to consider his place in Korean society. Government officials stated that they could not make exceptions for any illegal migrants.[6] Critics, however, insisted that his deportation was intended to silence MWTV's criticism of government policies.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Suzuki, Tessa; Yonetani, Julia; Mooam, Hyun; Mahbub; Moktan, Minod (2006). "Korea’s Migrant Workers Find a Voice on Air" (PDF). Asia Rights (6). Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Doucette, Jamie; Prey, Robert (22 March 2010). "Between Migrant and Minjung: The Changing Face of Migrant Cultural Activism in Korea". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Bae, Ji Sook. "Nepalese Activist Deported". The Korea Times. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Lee, Jin-kyung (2010). Service Economies: Militarism, Sex Work, and Migrant Labor in South Korea. University of Minnesota Press. pp. 225–226. ISBN 9780816651269.
  5. 1 2 Lee, Hun-Yul (November 2013). "Bonding and Bridging Migrant Workers to Korean Society: A Study of Migrant Workers’ Television as a Counterpublic Sphere". International Journal of Communication 7. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Cho, Jae-hyon. "Detention of Unregistered Nepalese Draws Protest". The Korea Times. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
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