| Katsiaryna Balabolava, left, and Andrey Ramanenka, a Belarusian circus duo, demonstrate their juggling skills in the coastal city of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Aug. 7. On the other side of the harbor are several docked cruise ships, one of which the duo used to perform on until they were forced to quit in mid-July after suffering from delayed payments and unfair treatment. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
This is the first in a four-part series of stories on 'artist and entertainer' visa holders in Korea supported by the Korea Press Foundation. This interactive digital journalism project features articles, photography and short documentary films that expose the systematic loopholes in Korea's E-6 visa management practices that are easily used to exploit foreign artists who come to the country with hopes to be part of the nation's arts and entertainment scene.
Exploitation of foreign artists shows dark side of nation's flourishing entertainment industry
By Lee Hyo-jin
YEOSU, South Jeolla Province ― On a cloudy afternoon on Aug. 7, Andrey Ramanenka, 29, and Katsiaryna Balabolava, 27, were out at the seashore in the coastal city of Yeosu to practice their circus tricks, a daily routine the duo has never skipped since arriving in Korea in April.
The Belarusian couple who go by the name Duo Candy energetically show off an energetic array of skills including juggling, acrobatics and unicycling.
On the other side of the harbor were docked several cruise ships, one of which Ramanenka and Balabolava used to perform on.
The duo was employed on the three-level cruise ship which carries hundreds of passengers along the coast, passing the city's major tourist spots such as Dolsan Bridge, Odong Island and Expo Ocean Park. During the tours, audiences gathered on the lower deck of the cruise ship to watch Duo Candy's circus show featuring rolla bolla (balance board), acrobatic stunts, juggling, fireworks and more.
| Katsiaryna Balabolava, right, watches Andrey Ramanenka ride a unicycle. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
However, after arguing with their boss over a slew of issues that they hadn't seen coming at all, they were forced to quit a couple of weeks ago, putting their lives in a state of limbo in a foreign country.
“We're not sure when we will be able to perform again,” Balabolava said as she watched her boyfriend ride a unicycle. “But in the meantime, we try to practice every day not to forget why we came here. And to make sure everything comes out perfect when we are back on the stage.”
Fishy job offer in Korea
| Andrey Ramanenka, left, and Katsiaryna Balabolava speak with The Korea Times near their home in Yeosu, Aug. 7. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
It was in November 2021 when a Russian man who claimed to be working for a Korean recruitment agency reached out to Ramanenka via social media with a job offer to work on a cruise ship in Yeosu.
Although he had never been to the city ― located at the southwestern coast of Korea ― Ramanenka didn't hesitate long before saying yes, because his previous experiences working at Lotte World in Seoul and Paradise City in Incheon were both good.
“I told Kate that we should take the offer,” he said. “While we waited for our visas to get here, we got job offers from other countries like Turkey but we turned them down. I chose Korea because I had worked here several times, and it was good.”
The couple was then introduced to Mr. Park, the head of the agency who offered to sign an employment contract that offered reasonable pay and good accommodation.
Under the contract, they would be working six days a week for less than 90 minutes per day, which guaranteed each of them a monthly payment of $1,900. The agency's contract also promised to provide the pair with a furnished apartment and meal expenses of up to 150,000 won ($110) per month.
They would be staying on an E-6-2 culture and entertainment visa, which is issued to foreign artists and performers.
“We saw the employment agreement and thought that it looked good. There would be furniture and air conditioning in the apartment. There are only three shows a day on the ship. And what we liked about it is that we were free to show our own performances,” Balabolava said.
| This photo shows an employment agreement signed between Ramanenka, Balabolava and the Korean agency. After they signed a contract promising $1,900 in monthly salary, the circus duo were then required to sign a new one, after crossing out (by hand) $1,900 and writing $900. Courtesy of Andrew Ramanenka |
Nevertheless, a few days later, the agency required Ramanenka and Balabolava to sign another version of the contract, which stated that they would actually receive a monthly salary of just $900, not $1,900.
“We thought it was strange for him to ask us to cross the numbers out by hand and write a smaller amount. He said this is what they normally do, given that artists mostly earn money from tips and the $1,900 includes all that. So we did as we were told, thinking that Mr. Park couldn't possibly deceive us, given the strict laws in Korea,” Ramanenka said.
When they arrived at their new home in Yeosu on April 5, the couple realized something was off.
| This photo shows the inside of an apartment provided by the recruitment agency when Ramanenka and Balabolava arrived in Yeosu in April. The home was not equipped with any furniture, as had been promised in the employment agreement. Courtesy of Andrew Ramanenka |
Instead of a furnished apartment, they were provided with a musty old apartment with no air conditioning, television or internet, all of which were supposed to be provided according to the contract.
“We were surprised when we first saw our apartment. There were a lot of cockroaches. It was really dirty…There was no furniture, no bed, which was very strange and frustrating,” Balabolava said. “And the toilet didn't flush. I cried all day.”
Yet the dismal living conditions soon became the least of their worries as they began to work on the cruise ship after finishing their seven-day self-quarantine.
They performed for around 25 minutes per session which added up to roughly 90 minutes a day. When they were not performing, they had to stay on the cruise ship all day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., either waiting in the makeup room or cleaning up the dance floor. They did have free time between the morning and afternoon shows which they used to practice in nearby parks.
“It's OK for performers to clean after themselves like the stage or the makeup room. But we had to clean the dance floor, where drunk people partied and threw garbage everywhere. This wasn't mentioned in the contract,” Ramanenka said.
What was worse for Balabolava was the “disco time,” when she had to dance with the audience for about 20 minutes after the circus show, which often involved physical contact with drunk people.
“One man grabbed me by the hand and tried to take me somewhere and then tried to put money into my breast. He was very persistent. I was very shocked. It was humiliating to be treated like that,” she said.
“When I told my boss about this, he said, 'This is the system here and it's the way you earn extra money.'”
The two also found out that there would be no holidays, as opposed to the employment contract which guaranteed them one day off every week.
| Balabolava points to her bank book showing that she received 306,480 won ($240) for working 23 days straight in April. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min |
After working 23 days straight in April, Ramanenka and Balabolava were each paid 306,480 won ($240) for that month. Park explained to them that he had excluded 50 percent of the monthly salary, calling it a “deposit” which was also never mentioned in the contract.
Easily replaceable foreigners
For the first two months, the duo consistently complained to the agency about the harsh working and living conditions, but nothing changed.
“Park just texted us, promising that every problem will be resolved, but he never kept his promises. We still lived in the apartment without any furniture or an air conditioning unit. All our requests were ignored,” Ramanenka said.
As the rift between Park and the couple deepened due to repeated complaints by the artists, Park stopped paying them. “We worked all day without days off in June and 10 days in July but we still haven't received our salary,” he said.
At the end of June, they sat down to talk with Park and cruise managers, and asked why the agency was not abiding by the contract.
“He became very angry and shouted that the employment agreement is just a paper for the embassy, not for us,” he recalled. “And they said if we don't like the conditions, we should leave because they can easily find other (foreign) performers.”
| This photo shows the inside of a studio apartment where Ramanenka and Balabolava currently live. They were able to rent the home at a relatively low price with the help of a local migrants' support center. Although it is not equipped with gas, hot water or air conditioning, the couple is grateful to have a place to live, they said. They didn't pack away their circus costumes and equipment, hoping that they will be able to perform again soon. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
The two ended up leaving the job in mid-July and sought help from a local migrant workers' support center.
After being kicked out of their apartment, they managed to rent a tiny studio apartment with the help of the civic group. They filed a case with the Ministry of Employment and Labor in order to receive their rightfully earned but delayed payments ― for June and July ― including the deposit fee, as well as compensation due to the agency's breach of the employment agreement.
They now face lengthy investigations by the labor authorities and legal disputes.
“Our plan for the future is to find a lawyer because the labor ministry said they can help only get our salary. But we want more than that. The contract says if one side doesn't follow the contract, he or she has to pay compensation,” Ramanenka said.
| Balabolava brushes her hair in front of the bathroom mirror in her home, Aug.7. There is no light in the bathroom after the power went out on a recent day of heavy rain. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
Balabolava said, “We will work hard to find our rights by the law. We know that many artists, many people choose Korea and we don't want this to be repeated.”
Visa issues
However, an immediate challenge for the Belarusians is getting a visa extension.
After their current visa expires at the end of September, the couple will have to leave the country. So they sought to change their visa to a temporary G-1 visa, which allows the holder a one-year stay for various reasons other than study or work.
“If we cannot change our visas, we won't be able to make money to buy tickets back to Belarus …. we really need to change our visas,” Ramanenka said.
However, officials at the immigration office told the two that they are not eligible to apply for the visa. They were told to come back with the results of the ongoing investigation by the labor authorities, which could take weeks, if not months.
| Ramanenka and Balabolava head to Yeosu Immigration Office on Aug. 9 to apply for a G-1 visa, which would allow them a one-year temporary stay. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min |
Recruitment agency denies allegations
The agency that hired the pair, for its part, refuted the claims, saying that much of it is false.
“I never fired them. Rather, I asked them to continue working until we could find new foreign performers,” Park, the head of the agency, told The Korea Times over the phone, Aug. 23. He insisted that the two terminated the contract unilaterally, and thus he is not entitled to pay them any unemployment benefits or compensation.
He went on to say that the cruise managers were not satisfied with Ramanenka and Bolobolova because of their “uncooperative and disobedient” attitude, which made it difficult for him to provide better working and living conditions.
“The cruise workers told me that they were always sleeping in the makeup room all day when it wasn't performance time,” Park said, blaming the performers for “not being polite” to older employees working on the cruise ship.
Meanwhile, he admitted that he made them sign two sets of contracts and that the one with a $1,900 monthly salary was concluded only to secure the visa. The employment agreement submitted to the Korea Media Rating Board should guarantee foreign artists at least $1,500 per month, he said.
In response to The Korea Times' question regarding whether such an act is a common practice by companies inviting foreign performers, Park declined to comment citing confidentiality.
But he said, “It's not fair to pay them $1,900, considering that Korean performers barely earn 1 million won a month. They (Ramanenka and Bolobolova) come from a country where they normally earn about 300,000 won a month.”
| Attorney Lee Ji-eun of Liberty law firm speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in her office in Seoul, Aug. 2. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
Attorney Lee Ji-eun of Liberty law firm, who has handled many cases involving human rights violations of foreign artists, viewed that Park may be held accountable for violating labor laws, including the processing of dual contracts, which is clearly illegal.
“The initial agreement (promising $1,900 per month) submitted to the Korea Media Rating Board is the legally binding contract,” Lee said. “And the one they signed later, which the employees were apparently 'forced' to sign, is void. Even though there was no physical coercion, the fact that they had no choice but to sign the second contract, in order to get the visa or to stay in Korea, should be taken into account.”
The lawyer also observed that taking away the “deposit” fee without the consent of the employees could be seen as embezzlement or extortion.
“Even if the employer returns the deposit later, the fact that he already took the money constitutes a violation of the employment agreement,” she said.
She explained that illegal or unethical practices by agencies denying fair pay and equal treatment to foreigners are prevalent in the industry, not only because of a lack of monitoring and punishment, but also due to the absence of a platform through which they can easily seek legal assistance.
When will Duo Candy return to stage?
Although life in Korea didn't turn out quite the way they had imagined, Ramanenka and Balabolava still hope they can return to the stage soon. After all, it's their agency that deceived them, not Korea, they say, which makes them believe that there are many good people in Korea who would be willing to help them.
“What we love about performing in Korea is that we feel connected with the audience with music and emotion, not language. And I love seeing the smiles on the faces of children, who seem to find foreign performers very interesting,” Balabalova said.
“I believe that every country has good people and bad people. But it's not normal to work in these conditions because I've worked elsewhere, but nowhere was like this,” Ramanenka said.
“We want to return to Belarus with a better impression (of Korea), along with our money, of course. Actually, we're quite embarrassed to explain our situation to our friends and families… But we hope that not all (Korean) people are like this.”
| Katsiaryna Balabolava smiles wearing her circus costume at her home, Aug. 7. She hopes to perform on stage again soon, because she loves feeling connected with audiences as well as seeing the smiles on children's faces, she said. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |