Mentally Disabled Slaves Mine Fancy Salt For South Koreans Jan 14, 2015 Today in horrifying reads, we recommend the AP’s investigation into salt mining slavery in South Korea. In Sinan County, which mostly consists of hundreds of islands off the southwestern tip of the main peninsula, high-end salt mining is a hugely profitable enterprise. The salt is called “ Cheonilyeom,” which roughly translates to something like “bay salt” or “solar salt,” dried naturally and slowly in the sun. It’s prized by South Korean chefs in kind of the same way Maldon flaked sea salt is by western chefs. But Sinan salt has an absurdly, offensively dark creation process. Hundreds of slaves, many physically or mentally disabled, are forced to work the salt fields and often treated brutally. An investigation last year churned up some, though not enough, controversy, and about 50 farm workers were charged with crimes relating to the slavery, but local police, who were fully aware of what was happening, have yet to be charged in any way.