Korean businessmen, families panicking over CW crisis
Many Korean businessmen and their families are panicking because they are also affected by the contract worker crisis.
Because of the confusion, the Korean Association of Saipan is organizing a dialogue with its legal counsel, Janet H. King, with the affected Koreans on the island.
Republic of Korea consular assistant Won Jun Lee told Saipan Tribune yesterday that the forum will be held at the Korean Association of Saipan office in San Antonio this Saturday at 5pm.
King will explain about the law and the contract worker (CW1) situation, then will answer questions, said Lee who is also a member of the board of directors of the Korean Association of Saipan.
Lee said he and another interpreter will attend the dialogue and that all other nationalities who are interested are free to come.
Lee said they decided to organize this dialogue because many Koreans, mostly those with children, are panicking and asking questions.
“Many people don’t know what’s going on and what to do because of the English barrier,” Lee said.
An unknown number of children whose parents have permits expiring before Sept. 30, 2016, will be forced to leave the CNMI, after the federal government announced recently that it had reached its cap of 12,999 CW permits for foreign workers and that no more applications would be accepted for fiscal year 2016.
Lee cited that the Korean Association of Saipan president Hong Kyun Kim has more than 100 employees, including locals, and that many of those are affected by the CW crisis.
Kim owns businesses such as a construction company, apartment units, hardware, and others. He also owns the Korean newspaper, Saipan Times.
Lee said there are 2,000 Koreans on Saipan and most of them have various businesses.
Lee said the Koreans are worried not only for their families, but also the future of their businesses because they have many affected CW employees.
Got to love it? CW’s that only hire CW’s and plead ignorance of the law. Bye Bye! Has it been a good ride, because very soon, it WILL be over.
People like you have fun dancing on own oxygen house. Well, when the air will be out do not ask questions.
For your information, all local people who would like to work already are employed. Currently, the biggest problem on Saipan is a labor force. Realistically thinking people are worried, but you, obviously do not belong to that category.
Quite to the contrary, I am realist enough to know that this temporary program has been taken advantage of.
The archives for these comment sections will show that I have written repeatedly concerning the unique value to the CNMI of many of the CW’s and their skill sets. Are they valuable? Oh heck yeah. Should they have been allowed to live their entire adult life in the CNMI? I doubt if that was the intent of the program.
Now that the program is being wound down, all government parties have to face the fact that their inaction has created this mess.
Not long ago this paper made a headline over the fact that a coffee shop had to reduce operations due to a lack of CW labor. What? No high school aged willing or able to bus tables and serve food? Many of our age group got a start this very way, but, I questioned why this was news of importance. It seems that it was newsworthy only to bring attention to the extent these folks have enabled some businesses to expand beyond what was practicable without low wage labor. Labor permitted for the purpose of training and sharing expertise with the local population in exchange for the temporary ability to live in the CNMI.
SHUT UP, AND LEAVE!
The ship is sinking. You can enjoy the ride down, however temporarily.
YIPPEE!!! LET THEM LEAVE…
These Korean businessmen and women NEED NOT worry about their status, as they are investor status. Perhaps, they should begin hiring locally and U.S. citizens. No worries, if they all do.
THEY SHOULDN’T BE WORRIED ABOUT THOSE FILPINEOS, THEY SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT THEMSELVES.
I am confused–how can a CW hire another CW? Doesn’t “CW” mean worker, not employer? How on earth can a CW own a business and hire others? That can’t be right.