Angle: Foreign crab fishing workers on Yeonpyeong Island in South Korea fear North Korea’s bombing | Reuters

[1/2]On January 9, Sri Lankans Siyam Mohamed and MJ Nimshan Dananjaya arrived in Yeonpyeong Island in South Korea as crab fishermen in November last year, only to find that it was a stone’s throw away from North Korea. I hadn’t noticed. The photo shows Mohamed preparing lunch on the same day. Photographed on Yeonpyeong Island (2024 Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji)

Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea (Reuters) – Sri Lankans Siyam Mohamed, 25, and MJ Nimshan Dananjaya, 23, lived there until November last year, when they arrived on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea , to work as crab fishermen. it was a stone’s throw away from North Korea.

On the 5th of this month, the two suddenly realized the reality. The cell phone alarm went off, a warning appeared in illegible Hangul, and then the sound of gunshots rang out.

North Korea, located a few kilometers away, fired more than 200 projectiles in what they called a military exercise. The bombing continued over the weekend. On the 5th, South Korea conducted artillery training at sea as a countermeasure.

In 2010, North Korean bombing of Yeonpyeong Island killed two soldiers and two civilians, and South Korean counterattacks also caused casualties on the North Korean side. The recent escalation of tensions has brought back memories of those days for the islanders.

However, Mohamed and Dhananjaya are not aware of this story.

“I panicked when I heard that sound,” Mohamed told Reuters on the 9th. “Will there be a war? I came here to support my family, my parents, my relatives, but in the end I was afraid. I’m afraid my family is worried about me too,” he said.

Mohamed, a former footballer, left the sport to earn money by crab fishing and buy a house. His monthly salary is 2 million won ($1,500), and he sends most of it home, except for pocket money to buy snacks.

Until the crab fishing season begins in March, his job is to haul boxes of frozen crabs for delivery. For lunch I eat a plate of rice with fish and potatoes in the company canteen.

Dhananjaya shares a dormitory with Mohamed and four other migrant workers from Sri Lanka and Vietnam. They got married in November last year, just before coming to Korea. She hopes to use the proceeds from crab fishing to build a house in Sri Lanka.

Dhananjaya also fears that their “Korean dream” may fade due to the military conflict.

Migrant workers make up about 10% of Yeonpyeong Island residents and represent an important workforce for the crab fishing industry, said Kim Jeong-hee, an employer.

“We can’t do anything without them,” Kim said. “The Koreans residing on the island are elderly and there is almost no one on the boats. Without foreigners, the fishing industry cannot continue. We want them to appreciate this place and settle there, but with the current (geopolitics)” The academic world The situation is completely against the grain”, he complains.

Kim, who was born and raised on the island, hopes the tension will ease eventually. But migrant workers visiting the island for the first time say it is understandable to fear conflict.

Mohamed said: “My boss and his wife are very kind to us, and the Korean people are kind. Yeonpyeong Island is beautiful with many trees. Except for the situation between South and North Korea, it’s perfect,” he said.

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2024-01-10 09:00:00
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