South Korean government launches cooperative crackdown on labor exploitation

In a national first South Korea’s Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Employment and Labor are working together in a new initiative aimed at ending the exploitation of season workers. Working in partnership, the two ministries plan to conduct inspections as one aspect of what officials are calling a “complete overhaul” of their seasonal worker scheme in order to prevent trafficking and exploitation of the workers.

Government taking action 

Last year South Korea’s seasonal worker scheme came under attack due to the release of a damning report by an advocacy group. Migrant workers interviewed shared horrific stories of modern slavery and systemic abuse. The report pointed to a lack of central oversight as the fundamental cause enabling the abuse. Accordingly, in a win for safe migration, the government is taking action.  

A government official shared in Korea Times: 

In December, the presidential office ordered a complete overhaul of the monitoring and management system for seasonal workers. This joint inspection is being conducted as part of those follow‑up measures. 

The inspectors will be targeting mainly agricultural and fisheries, workplaces that employ foreign seasonal workers. Tellingly, the cooperative effort is taking place in a grim statistical landscape. According to a senior official, South Korea has seen a recent surge in confirmed “exploitative trafficking” cases. Many of those cases contain a forced labor component. Indeed, labor exploitation was the most common type of abuse reported. And in all the cases reported, the victims were foreign nationals.  

Every worker “treated with dignity and protected” 

Rural areas where large numbers of seasonal workers are found or areas that have previous links to abuse will be the focus of the inspections. Authorities will review the working and living conditions while looking for signs of forced labor or workplace harassment. Another goal is to stop unlawful exploitative recruitment and hiring practices that can lead to debt bondage, another form of modern slavery. Towards that, authorities plan to step up their enforcement against job brokers who use illegal fees and practices.   

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said: 

Ensuring that every worker is treated with dignity and protected, regardless of nationality or immigration status, is a constitutional responsibility of the government. To achieve an inclusive labor environment with no blind spots, we will build an integrated protection system covering all foreign workers. 

Data shows the number of foreign workers in South Korea has been steadily growing. The latest crackdown is part of several new labor initiatives that aim to strengthen protections for those workers. Victims of wage theft are now able to receive temporary protection from deportation among other support. Further, officials have pledged to continue taking steps to safeguard workers, regardless of their visa status.  

Cooperation is great, but there’s more that can be done! 

As with most seasonal worker schemes, the aim in South Korea is to address labor shortages by recruiting foreign workers for low-paid jobs that locals avoid. However, in many locations migrant workers often face exploitative conditions. And while Freedom United applauds South Korea’s new cooperative initiatives sadly, South Korea and many other nations still haven’t ratified the 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention No. 29, 1930. A protocol which could significantly help South Korea and other nations address forced labor issues by strengthening legal frameworks, improving oversight, and providing better protection for migrant workers. Sign our petition to urge South Korea to ratify the 2014 Protocol and protect migrant workers’ rights today!