Chairperson Ahn Chang-ho of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said regarding the ongoing issue of forced labor at salt farms that "the government should establish a human rights protection system at salt farms through an investigation that includes independent experts, not a perfunctory fact-finding survey."
On the 4th, the Chairperson said in a statement, "To prevent human rights violations, sustained public attention and efforts from all relevant agencies are needed," and stated accordingly.
According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the issue of forced labor at salt farms first surfaced in 2014. From 2014 to 2021, the NHRC recommended corrective measures for discrimination in petitions filed by persons with disabilities who worked at salt farms, and it also held an international conference to bring the issue into the public arena.
The Chairperson noted that the government said it would conduct a full-scale survey of actual conditions and support victims whenever the issue of forced labor at salt farms was raised, but the problem persists. In April this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a withhold release order (WRO) banning imports of salt produced by Taepyeong Salt Farm from Korea due to forced labor. Recently, the U.S. Embassy in Korea met with the victim's attorney and groups after the victim, who had gone missing and worked as a salt farm laborer, was moved to a nursing hospital following the salt farm's closure and was able to reunite with family.
The Chairperson pointed out that the forced labor issue at salt farms is a structural human rights violation created by the combination of a closed working environment, victims with vulnerabilities including people with intellectual disabilities, the absence of corporations' responsibility to respect human rights, and a social safety net that the government failed to operate adequately. The Chairperson said, "The government should also prepare comprehensive support measures for victims, such as strengthening cooperation systems for recovery assistance."
The Chairperson also said, "Salt farm corporations likewise need to work to ensure that human rights violations do not occur in their operations and supply chains," and added, "The government should also consider establishing an institutional foundation so that salt farm corporations can fulfill their responsibility to respect human rights."
The Chairperson added, "The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will also actively work to ensure that the rights to be enjoyed as human beings are not violated by investigating petitions related to human rights violations that occurred at salt farms and reviewing policies to strengthen corporations' responsibility to respect human rights."