Original subtitles

What good would crying do?

I should get a manual labor job.

What will we do about my poor sister?

She is on the graveyard shift list.

It's nice to be making money and all, but...

But how do you survive, if you work all-night?

Factory Complex

If I was able to reach out, I'd call my beloved

But alas, I have nothing, I have nothing to my name

Here we go!

To the bright future of Industrial Complex for Export!

One!

Two!

Three!

70' Female Factory Workers Cecil Theater, Seoul, South Korea

You held her like this, right?

This is the young Shin Sunae

You pulled her up

You feel sorry for her

You can hold her hand, too

Stop crying

Minors under 18 needed parents' agreement,

but I wasn't 18 yet

Back then, at textile companies like Wonpoong or Dong-il

many workers were hired under their older sisters' name

After a few years of work they would change to their real name

But Pyeonghwa Market was a place that hired anyone no matter what

My throat always hurts because of the dust

There was so much dust. The napkin would be black whenever I blow out my nose

Too hungry to work!

Too hungry to work! My phlegm and spit were always dark with dust

Working 3 years at Pyeonghwa Market is enough to turn you into a patient

No!

Gyeongsuk!

The YH(wig factory) Incident

One day a seamstress didn't come to work

Shin Sunae Hired in 1966 at Pyeonghwa Market Imprisoned and dismissed in 1977 One day a seamstress didn't come to work

Shin Sunae Hired in 1966 at Pyeonghwa Market Imprisoned and dismissed in 1977

We'd been working together just a day ago but she suddenly disappeared

I found out a few years later

that she was raped by the tailor

Courageous women these days would fight back

But most women tend to avoid the situation

Back then women were even weaker

So some women had no choice but to disappear without a word

But once I started hating it It was like hell

The factory was dark and it leaked of sour smell

Lee Chonggak Hired in 1966 and dismissed in 1978 by Dong-Il Corporation And the place was full of dust

Lee Chonggak Hired in 1966 and dismissed in 1978 by Dong-Il Corporation Although we had partitions

Although we had partitions

the noise from the machines were so loud

We used whistles to communicate

I was only 18 when I started working

But I worked 12, 13 hours a day

I don't think we had sanitary pads back then

So it was very difficult during my periods

Especially in the summer...

I would smell and my groins would hurt

I also suffered from athlete's foot

Some men burst through the union office

and dared us to vote that day

With leather gloves they smeared waste on us

There was an old restroom next to the union office

The men dug up human waste from there

Hiring Female Production workers and waited through the night drinking

Hiring Female Production workers

They were hired by the company to prevent us from voting

We needed photos for evidence of us smeared with waste...

So we ran to a nearby photo studio

and asked the owner to take pictures

That's why we at least have some photos as evidences

I believe it was at night

The phone was ringing and people were running into my studio

Lee Gibok Owner of Photo Studio near Dong-Il The phone was ringing and people were running into my studio

Lee Gibok Owner of Photo Studio near Dong-Il

It was hectic with so much commotion

It was urgent and they didn't have time to explain

They said, "Something terrible is happening."

So they needed me to come and take some pictures for evidence

One of the workers called Oh Cheongja

was 5 or 6 years older than me

She was the company's target

When the waste bucket was almost emptied

they put it over her head

People may do anything to survive

But what they did was horrible I've never told this to anyone

but I cried alone in the studio as I developed the photos

What they did was subhuman

Tears just came out

Naked Demonstration at Dong-il Textile Factory

I've been running this studio for decades

and I've met all kinds of people

But those girls had the most innocent faces

I haven't seen a purer face yet

Everyone who lived here worked at the Guro Complex

Usually, we never got off work at 7 or 5

We would come home at around 9, and have instant noodles together

And we'd study until midnight

And then we slept all together in this cramped room

we were almost folded with each other

And in the dawn, we woke up and took shower one by one

It's nothing too serious

But petty theft would happen

Little things such as a slice of briquette would get stolen

It was all just a part of life

Now that I look back, it makes me sad

But it's also a part of my memory, that's how my life was

I don't know if we got tuberculosis from not eating enough

Kim Yeongmi Hired in 1983 and dismissed and imprisoned in 1985 by Hyosung at Guro Industrial Complex I don't know if we got tuberculosis from not eating enough

Kim Yeongmi Hired in 1983 and dismissed and imprisoned in 1985 by Hyosung at Guro Industrial Complex

Kim Yeongmi Hired in 1983 and dismissed and imprisoned in 1985 by Hyosung at Guro Industrial Complex or if the bad working environment caused the disease

But many workers came down with tuberculosis

If you got the disease you had to quit

Bars were worse than sewing factories

Pretty workers who got sick would end up in bars

If I ran into them on the streets they told me to ignore them

and warned me not to end up like them

I still remember their eyes

The Bridge of Export

President Park Geun-Hye was on TV the other day

I still get the chills even thinking about it

She said she'd give more opportunities to diligent workers

But is there a worker in Korea who is not diligent?

The passengers on the first bus of each morning are all workers

Only workers take the first bus and subway to go to work

They've worked hard all their lives

But...

Can they have a better life?

Are they well-off?

My sister said she'd send me to night school

so I came to Garibong-dong in 1978

I started working for a small textile factory in Mapo

as an assistant seamstress

Kang Myeongja Hired in 1982 and imprisoned and dismissed in 1985 by Daewoo Apparel, Guro Industrial Complex I had to pull all-nighter everyday

Kang Myeongja Hired in 1982 and imprisoned and dismissed in 1985 by Daewoo Apparel, Guro Industrial Complex But my sister's company seemed to have

a better working environment

So I transferred to Daewoo Apparel in 1982

Back then

companies would team up with elementary schools or middle schools

and pick up their graduates for work

Before transferring there I would visit my sister at work

and she'd be in uniform with a name tag and head scarf

She would be sitting on the lawn during lunchtime

and that looked so peaceful

Because I'd never worn a school uniform

her uniform looked so cool

To wear that uniform, I'd ask her if her company was hiring

People in the countryside especially older people think Samsung is the best

Whether it be a factory job or an office job at Samsung

the older people would all congratulate you for getting a job at Samsung

From outside, it looked like such a big and peaceful company

But once inside

it wasn't the peaceful scene I had imagined

but a living hell

It was the same routine every day

We'd work overtime and even all night if we were ordered to

After working all night we'd take stimulants

Have you ever had stimulants and coffee powder?

Or coffee and energy drinks?

Park Minsuk worked from 1991 till 1998 Samsung Electronics Breast Cancer The production lines where we worked were very clean

Park Minsuk worked from 1991 till 1998 Samsung Electronics Breast Cancer

The problem was the Isopropyl alcohol we used to clean the lines

It seemed like a very hazardous chemical

Working on semiconductors was known to be harmful for pregnant women

Lee Seongok worked from 1995 till 2002 for Samsung Electronics Thyroid Cancer Working on semiconductors was known to be harmful for pregnant women

Lee Seongok worked from 1995 till 2002 for Samsung Electronics Thyroid Cancer There were rumors of deformed babies

So I quit as soon as I became pregnant for fear of my baby

I've been working as a seamstress since 17

and the only time I could take a break

was during my pregnancy and for a short period after I gave birth

That break seems to be the only benefit for women

Except for those periods all I did was work

One colleague was infertile for 7 years so we shared the same concerns

Another co-worker was infertile for 10 years

One worker had uterine cancer and returned after being treated

But she had trouble adjusting, so she quit

Another worker's hair kept on falling out

So she had to get hormone shots

One morning, I swept my hair

and my hand was full of hairs that had fallen out

Kim Miyeon worked from 1997 till 2012 for Samsung Electronics Gestational Choriocarcinoma I feel like I'm going to cry whenever I talk about it...

Kim Miyeon worked from 1997 till 2012 for Samsung Electronics Gestational Choriocarcinoma So I...

It's okay, just tell it as it is.

Miyeon hated having her head shaved, and so did I

I had it shaved on a hospital bed

I was recommended a person at the hospital who shaved heads

As I lay down to shave my head, I felt very sad as a woman

At first, the medication wasn't so strong

High-Alert Medication At first, the medication wasn't so strong

At first, the medication wasn't so strong

My hair didn't fall out

But later, the medicine started to wear off

The doctor recommended I take a stronger medicine

but explained that my hair would start to fall out

Hearing that made my heart sink

Some people might think losing hair is no big deal

I also thought the same way

But once it's about you, it becomes a serious issue

So when I shaved my head at the hospital

another patient who had shaved her head comforted me

We organized a labor union in 1984

I was arrested in June, 1985

and imprisoned for one year

They told me if I wrote a letter of apology I was free to go, but it felt so unfair

If only they had adhered to the collective agreement...

Making some concessions would've stopped our strikes

The government announced the minimum wage as $100 back then

A word of comfort, courage and hope for the others We weren't even paid the minimum wage

A word of comfort, courage and hope for the others

I still remember the younger workers saying

I want to wear Nike shoes, too

They put it on posters

One of our slogans was "I want to wear Nike shoes, too"

They were just 17, right out of middle school

I adored them, but I've lost contact

Guro Joint Strike

Stop the oppression! Release the laborers!

Is it twenty or thirty years ago? It is thirty years ago

I think I was too afraid

because I had been beaten so much in that boiler room underground

I couldn't even cry

My face was so much swollen, so it aches badly if I cry

I remember, one day

I was so terrified so I just flopped down and started crying while walking on the street

There was a friend who just couldn't overcome the fear and got mentally ill

think it was just too much for us to bear

The security 365 days

When I was in middle school my teacher asked me to present what my dream was

I said, even it's nothing big or nothing so meaningful,

Jang Youngsun Hired in 1982 and Forced resignation in 1985 by Garibong Electronics, Guro Industrial Complex I said, even it's nothing big or nothing so meaningful,

Jang Youngsun Hired in 1982 and Forced resignation in 1985 by Garibong Electronics, Guro Industrial Complex

Jang Youngsun Hired in 1982 and Forced resignation in 1985 by Garibong Electronics, Guro Industrial Complex for example, even if I happen to work in a factory

Jang Youngsun Hired in 1982 and Forced resignation in 1985 by Garibong Electronics, Guro Industrial Complex

and nobody appreciates, that is what I want to be

And my teacher said, "you want to be a 'factory girl'?"

That's a 'factory girl'

Who makes these light bulbs and heaters? Workers do

All men are equal under the sun

So we should all be treated equally

But the reality made me furious

- Samsung should take a step for negotiations! - We want negotiations!

Let's change Samsung! Let's change the world! Let's change our lives!

If we just knew the truth while working at Samsung...

Samsung is a company we can't hate

It's like being dumped by someone I truly loved

I can't get myself to hate that person

because I still have some fond feelings left

Young workers are still there They say the environment has changed

and many works have become automatic I just hope no more workers are sick

I was very healthy only two years ago

It drives me crazy to think about what might happen to all the workers

Leukemia Incident at Samsung Semiconductor Factory

Gasan Digital Complex

Gasan digital Complex Station was Garibong Station back then

In 1992, if you got off Garibong Station

you'd see job openings on the direction board

I was searching for a job openings when someone offered me a good job

He took me to Gabool Electronics

It was my first time at a factory and overnight work was new to me

I couldn't imagine working overnight

I still remember my first day of work

Kim Soyeon Hired in 2002 by Kiryung Electronics

Kim Soyeon Hired in 2002 by Kiryung Electronics It was exciting to start a new job

Kim Soyeon Hired in 2002 by Kiryung Electronics after leaving a company I worked for 8 years

One day, my colleague complained about something to the manager

She was a dispatched worker, just like me

And the manager would just dismiss her for the day

Then you have no choice but to leave

At dinner,

regular employees, contract employees, and the dispatched workers all sat at different tables

This herbal liquor was popular back then

And one of the dispatched worker really wanted to drink it

So she asked for a bottle, but they didn't even pretended to listen

But when a regular employee asked for the same, they ordered one for her right away

We were all eating at the same time at a same place, it was ridiculous

Kiryung Incident

Many workers were fired before the labor union was formed in 2005

Normally, a colleague not showing up means he or she has a day off

But for us, it meant that the person was fired

The company mercilessly continued to fire many workers

Only dispatched workers were dismissed before

but contract workers were laid off once the union was formed

Everyone stayed, ate and slept in the sit-in site

for the first three days and most of them were women

But some of them were very young and couldn't stay for too long

because women are biologically different from men

I could stop fighting and go to another company

But will I be able to work as a regular worker then?

Nope

Hunger strikes can be tricky

You do it to pressure the company and solve a problem

But as it continues, your colleagues are more pressured than the company

On the 94th day of hunger strike

I hadn't slept all night and I was completely wiped out

The union members got seriously worried

They didn't want to trade my life for their demands

So I was carried to the hospital

Yet that wasn't the hardest part

The most frustrating thing was that although I'd fought with my life

nothing had changed

Pullback!

He's losing his grip! And legs are shaking!

Hurry up!

Why!

How could you!

People are risking their lives up there

But no one even tries to listen to their demands

You've killed lives instead of saving them!

Why?

The police have turned away from their original duty!

Such life-risking struggles made the company and police take us seriously

Then the negotiation reopened

and the company has agreed to employ them back as regular workers

I felt... at a loss?

Kiryung Electronics Makes "Runaway Move" Leaving Union Members at a Loss I can't express in words how I felt

Kiryung Electronics Makes "Runaway Move" Leaving Union Members at a Loss

Kiryung Electronics Makes "Runaway Move" Leaving Union Members at a Loss At first I was so despondent

Kiryung Electronics Makes "Runaway Move" Leaving Union Members at a Loss

And then I became furious Because it was just outrageous

Kiryung Electronics Fled overnight First News of the Year Makes the Union Disconcerted And then I became furious Because it was just outrageous

Kiryung Electronics Makes "Runaway Move" Leaving Union Members at a Loss And then I became furious Because it was just outrageous

Kiryung Electronics Makes "Runaway Move" Leaving Union Members at a Loss

Kiryung Electronics Makes "Runaway Move" Leaving Union Members at a Loss Although the company hadn't kept its promise

I thought the company would at least inform us before moving

I never imagined they'd run away like that

50th Anniversary of Guro Factory Complex and Unveiling ceremony of 'the Statue of the woman of Export' September 16, 2014

A Factory Girl 50 years Ago A Temporary Employee 50 Years Later They ran away stealing all the money they made by taking a huge margin

Life in the Bottom under Park Jung-Hui Not any better under Park Geun-Hye

Life in the Bottom under Park Jung-Hui Not any better under Park Geun-Hye and all the damage, we laborers took it upon ourselves

Life in the Bottom under Park Jung-Hui Not any better under Park Geun-Hye

Low-pay, long hour labor That is the miserable reality we took upon

The Base of New Industries

I needed to make a living so I searched all the hiring notices

I took a bus and got off when all other passengers did

I thought it was the last stop

But it wasn't Daewoo Corporation was there

Its factory had about 12,000 workers at that time

There's a song about seamstresses on sewing machines

Seamstresses on sewing machines looked even cooler than a knight on a horse to me back then

Their work was acknowledged

Kim Jinsuk worked from 1981 till 1986 for Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction

Kim Jinsuk worked from 1981 till 1986 for Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction I really wanted to go to college

Kim Jinsuk worked from 1981 till 1986 for Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction

Kim Jinsuk worked from 1981 till 1986 for Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction But that didn't work out

Kim Jinsuk worked from 1981 till 1986 for Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction

The society I lived in made that impossible

News reports about a bus attendant going to Seoul Nat'l University

sounded like a rumor to me

After all, what would be the chance for such a person

to go to a college out of the thousands of hundreds?

Then I also got a job as a bus attendant at Hwajin Bus

After each shift, we had to clean the bus all the way up to its ceiling

We would return to our rooms at 2 AM

And we'd have to get back to work for the first bus at 4:15 AM

It was really hard

I could manage any job I used to again But I could never stand working as a bus attendant again

I work on hundreds of clothes for a whole month

but I couldn't afford to buy one for myself

I'd work late night shifts as a bus attendant with swollen legs

but still wouldn't be able to pay the rent on time

Later I learned welding and obtained a license

And I finally got a decent job

I became a welder

I thought my life would finally start to bloom

I was 26 back then

I was completely terrified

Because my head was covered with a dark cloth on the way there

That place makes you wet your pants

They don't need to say a word or even raise a hand

All the rooms were red

The walls were all red

On one wall

there was a writing

Let's get out of here alive

I wondered who had wrote that message of survival

In such a situation

that one sentence

became my strongest weapon in this world full of struggles

When one dies, the corpse is normally laid on a wooden plank

There were mortuary planks at that place

It meant we were going to die

We were stripped naked and given military uniforms

I overheard the torturers saying

they liked it better with us naked except for when the pieces of flesh falls apart

Nevertheless I came out alive

When I was leaving the place

one torturer said he admired my strong determination

He said "I hope you win"

The enemy said so

One Slip of a Tongue Top secret to the Enemy

I wanted to ask him

Why he had to take such extreme measures

While I was on the crane, many people read my book, "Salt Flower Tree"

They couldn't believe what had happened to me and asked

how could I have endured such a life

But it's not like I was given a choice to avoid all that

I didn't choose to go to jail

It wasn't my choice...

to undergo anti-communist investigations

Coming down from the crane I was asked what I wanted the most

I replied I wanted to take a bath and then live with a choice

But I've come to accept this as my life

Everybody has different lives

And this is how my life turned out

I don't resent living such a life

I don't regret my life

The difference between life and death Is only a centimeter from the vital spot

And there are times when even 10 seconds make such a difference

Hanjin Industries Incident When I think that person could have lived if I had died

the weight of my life becomes heavier than the earth

Canadia Industrial Park Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Where is your hometown?

Srey Touc Hired in 2013 by A Trading Corp.

Srey Touc Hired in 2013 by A Trading Corp. I'm from Ken Svay

Srey Touc Hired in 2013 by A Trading Corp.

How long does it take from Ken Svay to Phnom Penh?

About 2 hours

To get here? Or for a round trip?

It takes 4 hours for a round trip

How do you usually spend your salary?

Chanty Hired in 2012 by A Trading Corp. How do you usually spend your salary?

Chanty Hired in 2012 by A Trading Corp.

Chanty Hired in 2012 by A Trading Corp. I send it to my parents

How much do you send your parents?

Most of what I make

How much do you pay for the rent?

How much do you pay for the rent?

USD 3 0 a month

What is your job at the factory?

I work on the sewing machine

do you know the prices of the clothes you make?

The prices?

I don't know

Srey Mon Hired in 2013 by A Trading Corp. What is your job at the factory?

Srey Mon Hired in 2013 by A Trading Corp. I work on quality controls, examining the products

I work on quality controls, examining the products

How much do you get paid?

I earn USD 110 a month

One day, I felt really sick

So I asked the manager for a day off

But he refused

They swear and scold us to speed up

I want to save up so I can go to school

Thank you

Bloodshed in Cambodia

In January 2014, a demonstration took place asking for a rise of salary to USD 160 a month.

Airborne troops were dispatched as a repressive measure.

5 were killed by gunshot and 40 were injured.

Rumors of intervention from Korean corporations and

the embassy were covered in domestic and international medias.

How much did you make before the demonstration?

Non-regulars made USD 85, and the regular workers made USD 95

do you know to which countries the clothes made in the factory are exported?

And if how much they cost?

The clothes are around USD 40 to USD 50

And they are exported to

China, Japan, and Korea

Many workers are suffering

There are many workers who hurt on the job can't get industrial accident insurance

A petition by the Vietnamese workers

Immigrant Workers' May Day Seoul, South Korea

Immigrant Workers' May Day Seoul, South Korea No more discrimination against foreign workers

Immigrant Workers' May Day Seoul, South Korea

Pay back the wages siphoned off by the owner

Guarantee the same bonuses as Korean workers

Korean workers receive annual wage increases

Give the same benefits to foreign workers

Guarantee annual leaves

We work in an unhealthy environment full of harsh chemicals

However, we receive no danger pay allowances

The company does not care about the working environment

Equal treatment for all!

Should we march forward now?

After E-Land acquired it

the name was changed to Homever

Many customers told me

E-Land was a Christian company

and so I would be able to work

Lee Gyeongok Hired in 2000 by Carrefour, dismissed in 2007 and so I would be able to work

Lee Gyeongok Hired in 2000 by Carrefour, dismissed in 2007 in a better environment

Lee Gyeongok Hired in 2000 by Carrefour, dismissed in 2007

Many Christian customers blessed me

and encouraged me like that

But E-Land turned out to be the opposite

They changed the rest area into a prayer room

And we prayed to achieve sales goals

Our stores may be fancy and clean

but workers have no place to rest

Even the tiniest space was used to increase sales

Employees were never taken into consideration

With no decent facilities

we sat on cardboard boxes and ate our lunch here

We were quite pitiful

I remember sitting here

and eating with dust all around us

Kim Jinsuk Hired in 2011 by A Mart I've met all kinds of customers

Kim Jinsuk Hired in 2011 by A Mart Most customers give us

their credit cards for a payment

Some customers just throw them

instead of handing them over

I feel very humiliated

as I pick up the thrown card

Some costumers treat us in a degrading way

Some of themselves may be non-regular workers

or their children may be working

as temporary employees somewhere

The most shocking incident I have experienced here

was hearing a mother scolding her children

saying that if they didn't behave

they'd end up working here later

Kim Yeonhee Hired in 2010 by A Mart At the online shopping mall I work

Kim Yeonhee Hired in 2010 by A Mart customers can shop with just a click

Thank you for shopping with us

A customer makes an order on the website

The ordered products are classified into 6 categories

Then we pick up the products

using a PDA called Teampad

We also check the expiration dates

for dairy products or vegetables

We shop for our customers

and also make deliveries

For example, if there are ten orders

it must be completed in just a few minutes

If it takes longer,

we're marked with colored lines

First it's blue

then green, amber, and red

We call it BGAR

It's like a performance review score

That is how the head office checks our speed

It looks simple

but it's complicated and difficult in reality

Passengers aboard, let us show you the emergency procedures

My first long-distance flight was to L.A.

and it was too much to bear

Kim Yeongsuk (Nom de Guerre) worked from 1988 till 2007 for A Airlines

Kim Yeongsuk (Nom de Guerre) worked from 1988 till 2007 for A Airlines I was pretty athletic and fit

I was pretty athletic and fit

but it was just too hard for me

So after my first flight I decided I would quit

I just couldn't continue this work

I didn't know flight attendants worked so hard

On my first long-distance flight

I couldn't sit down for 12 hours

12 hours in flight consumes 4 times

the energy of 12 hours on ground

I would always tell junior colleagues

they were actors on stage

The aisles were their stage

and the passengers were their audience

So they should do their best as professionals

Please fasten your seatbelts whenever the seatbelt sign appears

Insert the belt through the buckle and tighten Lift the cover to loosen

during emergencies, oxygen masks will automatically fall from above

Pull the mask toward your face

and adjust the strings for a comfortable fit

For the first round of the job interviews about 8 of us entered the room

Everyone was so pretty that I felt like I was in a beauty pageant

Each one of us had to closely approach the interviewer and smile naturally

Kim Mingyeong worked from 2011 till 2013 for B Airlines Each one of us had to closely approach the interviewer and smile naturally

Kim Mingyeong worked from 2011 till 2013 for B Airlines

The interviewers told us to smile naturally

not like monsters as we'd practiced

I felt offended during that interview

It was like they were selecting images instead of looking at our characters

Kwon Sujeong Hired in 1995 by C Airlines We had to follow regulations for manicure color, nail length

Kwon Sujeong Hired in 1995 by C Airlines earrings, rings,

skirt length and clothes

We undergo emotional labor plus beauty labor, as we call it

We have to control our appearances

We sit facing our passengers during take-offs and landings

Once, a flight attendant sat across a Japanese passenger

Flight attendants have to wear skirts because the company insists on it

The Japanese passenger motioned for her to spread her legs apart

It's hard to continue smiling to such a passenger

Nevertheless, we have to smile in front of such passengers

for a fear they might write complaints and effect our work evaluations

Receiving a complaint or penalty points

is what we dread the most

We are pressured to avoid penalty points

and receive bonus points

So we have no choice but to exploit our emotions

If you cause any damage to your team it becomes very difficult to work

Once you receive a penalty point

you're blamed for everything and even hindering the chief's promotion

You have to try with all your might to avoid penalty points

One passenger committed suicide by hanging himself in the lavatory

We kept knocking on the lavatory and later pried the door open

And as the body fell to the floor one flight attendant was knocked down under it

Along with physical labor we have to consume our emotions as we work

I didn't think it was right for her to continue such emotional labor

So I requested to give her a vacation but it was refused

Our next flight was by the same plane where the suicide had happened

She couldn't go to the lavatory during the entire flight

The most difficult thing for me was kneeling

We are trained and ordered to kneel when talking to passengers

I feel humiliated whenever I kneel

I don't think kneeling is necessary to make a serviced customer feel good

There are many other ways to make comfortable and pleasant eye contact

I couldn't bear a system that treated me like a medieval slave

The company thinks it has ownership over every part of its workers

and has the right to consume them

I feel like it's time to lose the pretentiousness

And live out my life, which is only once

Thank you for visiting our gas station

Aiming for 100% satisfaction, putting the customers first

we will return your trust with good quality and quantity

I recently received a strange call asking if I'd ever masturbated

Kim Yeonga Hired in 2011 by 120 Dasan Call Center I recently received a strange call asking if I'd ever masturbated

At first I didn't know what he was talking about

But the caller kept asking so in the end I hung up

Such calls leave me in panic for at least 3 0 minutes

It's terrible to receive such calls You're embarrassed to say anything

I get very upset and wonder why I have to work like this

One of my pregnant colleagues cried as she received calls

I told her to stop and rest

But she just continued answering phones while crying

I felt sorry for her and told her to take a rest

I tried to persuade her to stop receiving her calls

But it's what we do It's our work

We try our best not to show our emotions

120 Dasan Call Center

120 Dasan Call Center We have various duties at Dasan Call Center

Calls come in for city hall water supply offices, and what not

I don't know what kind of call I'll be receiving

A red light blinks on my phone and it rings a melody

Yang Seongyeong Hired in 2011 by 120 Dasan Call Center A red light blinks on my phone and it rings a melody

Yang Seongyeong Hired in 2011 by 120 Dasan Call Center

Then, I'm petrified because I don't know what kind of call it is

I received each call trembling like a leaf

For a whole year

I dreaded the morning because I didn't want to come to work

Technically, we're allowed to take breaks freely

but we're monitored in real time for the calls we receive

They check if we're on the phone or if we're out on a break

Under such surveillance, it's not easy to take a break

The number of calls and resting time are all reflected in evaluation

Monthly evaluation scores influence our wages

So nobody can take a comfortable break

More calls results in a higher wage So nobody can take a real rest

Colleagues become competitors I have to receive more calls

We're ranked by call records and compared with competing companies

This place is indeed a call factory

We used to have factory girls in the past

In the age of the Internet

people are now guided in cyberspace with call center girls

Many call counselors will be offended by what I've said

There's the term "Working poor"

I have to work to survive

So I work really hard

I invest my whole life at work

But I'm still poor

I can't pay for my child's extra-curricular activities

My parents spent all their lives working

I'm 45 years old

So now I would like to give them monthly allowances

but I can't

But my parents also know I'm financially struggling

They understand my situation but I always feel bad

That is so painful

We work hard in our twenties and throughout thirties and forties

We work hard to take care of our family and parents

but in reality that's not enough

When I get older and sick

if I can't take care of myself, I might have to choose to die

That's how I feel

Anxiety for an uncertain future

Life at the edge of a cliff

Please don't ignore us but listen to our cause

The capable city of Seoul just continues to find excuses

Call counselors are being torn from their jobs

we want direct employment! We can no longer tolerate such inhumane actions

we want direct employment!

We want direct employment! With no lay-offs

we demand the direct employment of all counselors at Dasan Call Center

We will not watch the city of Seoul playing with our jobs

We will fight until every counselor is directly employed

We've suffered and endured until now without quitting

We look forward to the day when we'll all work for the city of Seoul

Extreme stress dealing with insults verbal abuse, and excessive demands!

The service laborers are not a machine

Shim Heesun Hired in 2010 by S geriatric hospital, Physical therapist Established a labor union in April, 2015

Dedicated to my mother who has worked in the sewing factory

and all the women who fought to defend their labor rights

In this tumultuous life, what is it that you hope for?

If you have wealth, will it be enough?

Under the blue skies and shining moonlight, I thought deeply

And realized that everything was but a dream within a dream

wealth is no different than a dream upon a hill in spring

Even if you live a long life, it will fade in the blink of an eye

If you drown yourself recklessly in debauchery

And lose everything, will it be enough?