It has been found that the head of the company, suspected of causing organ damage by spraying a high-pressure air gun at the body of a migrant worker, gave a statement to police and fire authorities early on to the effect of “an injury that happened while coworkers were fooling around with an air gun.”

This representative recently also claimed through media interviews that ‘it was a prank’ and ‘it was a mistake.’ The victim side appealed that the representative is committing “secondary victimization,” saying “we have not received even a single apology to date.”

As of the 9th, based on reporting, it has been confirmed that on February 20, when the condition of migrant worker B, the victim, worsened, company head A called 119 and stated, “injured while playing around, shooting an air gun with a coworker.”

On the day of the incident, A first took B to Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi. It is said that at the time the hospital stated that treatment was not possible because B, who was an undocumented migrant, had unclear identity.

Then A made a 119 call in front of Ajou University Hospital and gave a statement along the lines of “the patient is a foreigner and has a ruptured intestine. We came to Ajou University Hospital, but treatment is not available. We need to go to another hospital.”

A also told the responding firefighters about the circumstances of the accident, in the vein of “after playing with an air gun with a coworker, abdominal pain occurred and discomfort in the abdomen began.”

Upon confirming that B was an undocumented migrant, the fire department, following its manual, requested joint response from the police. The responding police, also following the manual, notified the Suwon Immigration Office. However, after receiving the reply from the Immigration Office that “a patient requiring urgent treatment falls under an exemption from notification, so treatment can be prioritized,” they took no further action.

Meanwhile, A indicated “we will take the patient to a hospital on our own,” and the police and fire authorities closed the situation at the scene without further transport to a hospital or additional investigation. At that time, B was reportedly not in a condition to give detailed testimony due to pain.

However, A did not take B to a hospital that day. In the end, on February 21, the following day, B, who was in severe pain, called 119 himself and went to Osan Hankook Hospital, where surgery was performed. A was diagnosed with traumatic rectal perforation, among other things, and is still undergoing treatment.

When the case drew public attention, A explained through media interviews that it “was done as a prank,” and more recently reversed his position, saying it “was a mistake.”

The victim side says this conduct is clearly secondary victimization. Attorney Cho Young-gwan of Deoksu Law Firm, who represents B, said, “The victim is having a very hard time in the hospital hearing the explanations given by A through media reports,” and added, “He says he worked hard as if it were his own work for four years without being late even once, and asks how this could happen.”

He continued, “We thought he would take responsibility and apologize even after the reports,” adding, “Yet up to this moment, there has not been a single call indicating an intention to apologize.”

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Nambu branch of the National Police Agency booked B on suspicion of injury and imposed an exit ban. The police also plan to investigate the facts with regard to the police officers and paramedics who were dispatched on the day of the incident.