[Post 1408] How South Korea Used Guest Workers To Secure Millions In Nation-Building Loans | CNA Correspondent

Summary

In the 1960s and 1970s, South Korea sent thousands of miners and nurses to West Germany. They were not just workers, but a form of “human collateral” for foreign loans that were badly needed after the Korean War. Many spent decades underground in coal mines or working long shifts in hospitals, sending nearly all their wages back home. 

But while their sacrifices helped fuel the country’s rise into an economic powerhouse, these workers - now in their 70s – feel they have been forgotten. Some live with chronic illnesses and mining injuries. Others still face discrimination in Germany after half a century abroad. Many struggle with poverty and a fading sense of identity. There are those who want to come home but cannot. 

South Korea has built a ‘German Village’ for retired miners and nurses. But those we spoke to say they were misled about financial aid and promises made were left unfulfilled. Today, some pioneers are asking: After helping to build modern South Korea, why were they left behind?