'Tears After 34 Years': 5 Meanings of President Lee Jae-myung's Return to Filipino Worker Ariel Galac — From Lawyer to President
Filipino worker Ariel Galac, who lost an arm in a Korean factory in 1992 and was deported without compensation, reunited with President Lee Jae-myung in Manila 34 years later. The story of how Lee, then a human rights lawyer, won industrial accident compensation for Galac through a retrial has become a major talking point at home and abroad.
🕐 Run time: 2026-03-06 01:02 KST
"Despite the accident, I have always had good memories of Korea. Thank you for being such a great lawyer and achieving a good outcome for me." — Ariel Galac (March 4, 2026, Manila)
TL;DR
- 1992: Filipino worker Ariel Galac loses an arm in a workplace accident at a Korean factory → deported without compensation
- Lee Jae-myung (then lawyer): Hears the story and files for a retrial → about a year later, medical treatment approved + industrial accident compensation successfully obtained
- March 4, 2026: President Lee Jae-myung, on a state visit to the Philippines, surprises Galac (accompanied by his daughter) with a reunion in Manila after 34 years
- Presents Galac with a copy of the president's autobiography and emphasizes "equal rights no matter where you work"
- Simultaneously covered domestically and internationally by Korea Times, Yonhap News, Hankyoreh, Chosun Ilbo, JTBC, Reddit r/korea, and others
The Facts: What Happened
1992 — A Young Man Who Lost His Arm and Was Deported
In 1992, Ariel Galac came to work at a Korean factory, chasing the "Korean Dream." However, he suffered a serious injury on the job, losing one arm. At the time in Korea, it was common for foreign industrial accident victims to be forcibly deported without receiving treatment or compensation. Galac met the same fate.
Lee Jae-myung's Intervention
Lee Jae-myung (then a lawyer), who had himself suffered a disability when a press machine injured his arm during his years as a child factory worker, heard Galac's story and took on the case directly. After a retrial process lasting about a year, Galac succeeded in obtaining approval for medical treatment and industrial accident compensation — an exceptional outcome at the time.
Following this case, government policies protecting foreign industrial accident victims were reformed, and today foreign workers can also receive industrial accident compensation and treatment.
March 4, 2026 — A Reunion After 34 Years
During his state visit to the Philippines, President Lee Jae-myung surprised Galac with an invitation amid official engagements. Galac arrived with his daughter, expressed his gratitude to the president, and received a copy of the president's autobiography as a gift. It is said that even members of the accompanying delegation were moved to tears.
Why It's Going Viral Now
- State visit + a deeply human story: Within the context of a diplomatic schedule, the narrative of 'the lawyer who fought for the vulnerable 34 years ago' struck a chord reminiscent of a K-drama.
- Spread via SNS and Reddit: The original link spread quickly on Reddit r/korea, drawing reactions from global readers and contributing to a positive image of Korea.
- Ties into the foreign worker rights issue: The story resonated at a moment when the treatment of foreign workers in Korea has once again become a social concern.
- Reinforces President Lee's political narrative: It reads as an extension of the consistent storyline of 'child factory worker → human rights lawyer → president.'
Context & Background: The Reality of Foreign Industrial Accidents in the 1990s
In the early 1990s, Korea was in the early stages of significant foreign worker inflows. Labor accident laws and institutions failed to adequately protect foreigners, and forced deportation was effectively the standard "processing method." Galac's case was a landmark example of confronting this practice head-on, and it holds historical significance in that it served as a catalyst for reforming the system for protecting foreign industrial accident victims.
Outlook: How Long Will This Story Last?
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Checklist: 5 Meanings This Case Raises
Reference Links
- Lee reunites with Filipino worker he helped win 1992 factory injury retrial — The Korea Times
- President Lee Reunites With Filipino Worker in 30-Year Industrial Accident Case — Chosun
- 이 대통령, 34년 전 변호한 '필리핀 노동자'와 뭉클 재회 — Hankyoreh
- 李대통령, 34년前 도왔던 필리핀 노동자 깜짝만남…자서전 선물 — Yonhap News
- South Korean President Lee reunites with OFW he helped 30 years ago — Inquirer
Image Credit
- Cover image: Manila Bay Sunset (2019), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0