Chinese woman sues South Korea for negligence in husband’s death at immigration detention facility

The family of a Chinese man who died earlier this year at an immigration facility in Seoul filed a lawsuit against the government on Thursday alleging that his death was a result of negligence and a lack of proper medical attention.

Migrant rights activists say that the death highlights widespread human rights violations in South Korea’s immigration detention facilities, where detainees often endure inhumane treatment and are deprived of basic needs.

Duroo, an association for public interest law representing the bereaved family of the deceased, held a press conference in front of the Seoul Central District Court, where the family filed a lawsuit against the government seeking 56 million won (US$42,000) in compensation.

According to the lawyers, the Chinese national died on the evening of January 1 at the Seoul Southern Immigration Office in Gangseo district, two weeks after being detained when officials discovered his visa had expired. The autopsy revealed that he died from peritonitis caused by a ruptured liver abscess, exacerbated by his severe diabetic condition.

The detainee, who suffered from chronic illnesses including diabetes and high blood pressure, requested medical attention multiple times, but officials ignored the requests, the lawyers said.

“I visited my husband several times while he was detained, and it was clear that his health was deteriorating,” his wife said during the press conference. “On the morning of the day he died, he called a friend to say he was so sick he felt he was going to die. Yet the officials still ignored him.”