Taiwan has deported a group of South Korean workers in the country to protest the closure of a Taiwanese-owned factory in Korea.
The eight South Korean workers arrived in Taiwan in late May to protest the closure of a factory run by flat panel maker Hydis. Hydis is a subsidiary of Taiwan’s E Ink Holdings Inc., which in turn is owned by Taiwan’s YFY Inc. The eight workers staged a 16-day sit-in in front of the home of YFY Inc.’s chairman. They were arrested Tuesday night.
On Tuesday night dozens of Taiwanese supporters demonstrated outside the National Immigration Agency in Taipei. They called for the release of the eight arrested South Korea protestors. The eight workers were deported and left Taiwan Wednesday.
On Thursday Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Kao said that the eight South Korean nationals entered Taiwan through the country’s visa-waiver program. She said they were deported for engaging in activities that violated the provisions of the visa-waiver program.