South Korea: on the island of Jeju, a Korean opens a prayer room for Muslim workers

In Seogwipo, on the southern coast of the tourist island of Jeju, a Korean resident transformed part of his house into a prayer room to accommodate Muslim workers working in fish farms in the region. Nasir Hong-Suk Seong, 35, converted to Islam in 2023, set up a Musalla (place of prayer) in his grandfather’s house, after having noticed that many workers, who came mainly from Indonesia, Pakistan or Sri Lanka, had nowhere to practice their worship.

“When I arrived, I asked where they were praying. I was upset to learn that they often prayed alone in a corner of their dormitory, for lack of a dedicated place, “he said. While the only mosque on the island is more than an hour’s drive, this modest space – clean, silent, decorated with Arab calligraphy and prayer carpets – has become a refuge for an often invisible community. According to Seong, around 1,500 migrant workers work in fish farms in the region, half of whom are Muslim.

For Khalid Hussein, Pakistani worker installed in Jeju for 15 years, this place changes the game: “It has been facilitating our life. Here everything is different. Culture, religion … you have to adapt. Seong, former manager of a guest house in Incheon, used to host Muslim visitors. Their respect and kindness have, he said, deconstructs his prejudices and led him to his conversion. “Many people in Korea have an erroneous image of Islam. But it can be as simple as taking care of your neighbors, ”he says. Its small prayer room, still open, is now the discreet symbol.