K-MOVE is a program initiated by Korean government in 2013 that encourages young Koreans’ overseas training and employment.
The former South Korean president Park Geun-hye founded the program to tackle the nation’s high youth unemployment rate, 9% that was nearly three times more than national unemployment rate, 3.1% in 2013.
Throughout the program, K-MOVE operators such as universities have been able to receive funds from the government and they have recruited young participants who willing to have a job training that ultimately, aiming for successful overseas employment.
Although the purpose of the K-MOVE was initially welcomed, the program has faced strong criticism for mismanagement and waste of budge with poor outcome.
'K-MOVE Australian program fooled me'
Sun Hyung Lee is a swimming instructor who joined K-MOVE’s International swimming teaching certificate and training course in Australia during 2016-2017.
The 28-year-old woman recently presents an online petition against K-MOVE program on the Blue House’s website.
The petition run from April 10 to May 10, 2018 pulled only 220 people's support but it revealed some serious issues in regards to the K-MOVE program.
Miss Lee allegedly claims that her swimming teaching certificate issued by Australian Swimming Coaches & Teachers Association (ASCTA) was forged by a well-known swim school in Sydney’s Korean community.
The swim school running 7 centres around Sydney area mainly for children with Korean background has been a partnership with K-MOVE operator Sunchon National University in South Korea and it provided two weeks teaching training to Miss Lee and five other participants in early 2017.
Miss Lee speaks to SBS Korean program she joined the international swimming leadership course because after six years of coaching experience in Korea, she wanted to build an ability to teach swim in English
Miss Sun Hyung Lee and other K-MOVE participants while doing a English language training in Philippine. Source: Supplied
“During the orientation session, I was told after all the program; two months of swimming lessons in Sunchon university, a month of English language class in Philippine and two weeks of swimming teaching training in Australia I would be hired by the swim school in the Sydney’s Korean community where I would be able to make $1,500 per month. The idea that I can at least pay the rent with the guaranteed wage made me to join it.” Miss Lee says.
As the program guaranteed, after the training the swim school provided swimming instructor job offers to trainees but it was a merely 6 hours a week job with $23 - $25 hourly rates.
“At the beginning we were encouraged to live in the CBD area so we could travel anywhere required easily so we lived in Haymarket. I got a class in Normanhurst and I needed to bear around three-hours travel time to conduct an hour swimming class. That’s not even closer to $1,500” Miss Lee says.
According to Miss Lee, three of the other participants quit swim-teaching because they couldn’t afford to live in Sydney with $150 of weekly wage and Miss Lee also had to find a cleaning or kitchen hand job as a second job.
However, Miss Lee says she later found out payslips under her name provided by the swim school to the Korean government was stated that her monthly wage was $1,500 and she believed that the school fabricated the document.
False employment and fake certificate
Miss Lee allegedly claims that Sunchon National University forced three participants who left the swimming career to lie when government agency, Human Resources Development Service of Korea called them to confirm their employment status.
“The university said if we are not employed they have to refund some of budget to the government about $12,000. They said as it is no harm to us, just say “yes” when the government agency called you. I think it is because rest of government funds only can be provided if trainees’ employment is remained.” Miss Lee says.
Two days before she left Australia, Miss Lee says she found out her teaching certificate was forged by the swim school because ASCTA confirmed her name was not found in their system and in fact, there was not a single South Korean nationality registered.
“We couldn’t get the original certificate for almost an year because the CEO of the swim school kept telling us he can’t provide it to us with some excuses like these; ’You need more training’, ‘I will give it to you next week’ and ‘I lost it during moving out’ etc. That time I moved in a new property, I contacted to ASCTA first time myself to change my postal address and surprisingly I found out it was all fake”
Miss Lee says ASCTA confirmed that the copy of certificate Miss Lee obtained from the university was forged one and it was even an old version.
Miss Lee reported her shocking founding to the university right away but she says they didn’t seem to be surprised. Instead of mentioning an investigation the person in charge urge her to talk to the CEO of the swim school in Sydney.
The forged teaching certificate confirmed by Australian Swimming Coaches & Teachers Association Source: Supplied
Miss Lee says all of sudden, the CEO visited her house that day. He admitted he lied everything and he wanted to pay compensation for her damage.
“ I told him I will think about it but I thought it is not just my personal issue so I made a petition in public” Miss Lee says.
“To Koreans in Australia; please stop fooling your own people”
Miss Lee firstly, wants the K-MOVE provides a practical operation with transparent communication with participants. She says there is no online space where trainees can share their real experience with each others. She also urges government authority to consider some compensation for those who fooled by the program with a fake certificate and forced employment confirmation because while they were overseas the participants bore living expense and if the program was not a real deal, it was unnecessary for them to spend that cost.
“ Lastly, I just want to say something to Koreans in Australia . Please stop fooling your own people. I saw people having hard lives by working as cleaners and kitchen hands there and it is really sad if you can’t even trust your own people.” Miss Lee says,
CEO of the Korean swim school “unfair claims”
After the interview with Miss Lee the SBS Korean program contacted the CEO of the swim school in the Sydney’s Korean community who trained and hired Miss Lee and other participants of K-MOVE to find out his stance on the online petition.
He says he is aware of the petition and as it is an one side story, there are some unfair claims. He also says when the time comes, he would like to present his official statement but not now.
The full story is available on the podcast above.
