South Korea steps up crackdown on salt farm labor abuse
· UPIJuly 2 (Asia Today) -- The South Korean government said Thursday it will strengthen field inspections and interagency cooperation to eliminate assault, forced labor and wage theft involving workers at salt farms.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said they will establish a joint response system with the National Police Agency and local governments.
The move follows a recent case in Yeonggwang County, South Jeolla Province, involving the alleged assault and labor exploitation of a worker with an intellectual disability.
Salt farms are particularly vulnerable to labor abuses because of their harsh working conditions and isolation, which can make external monitoring and protection difficult.
The labor ministry sent an urgent notice to all 765 salt farm workplaces nationwide, urging employers to conduct self-assessments of their compliance with basic labor standards.
Employers were instructed to check for physical abuse and review compliance with employment contract and minimum wage requirements, then correct any violations immediately.
The ministry's Mokpo branch office, which oversees Shinan County, is conducting unannounced inspections at 55 salt farms to identify possible wage theft, assault and other violations of labor laws.
Shinan County contains about 80% of South Korea's salt farms.
The oceans ministry said it will strengthen cooperation with local governments while conducting a comprehensive survey of employment conditions at salt farms.
Any signs of assault, forced labor, wage theft or other violations discovered during the survey will be immediately reported to the labor ministry and police.
The government will also expand a hotline previously used to address rights violations involving migrant workers to include cases involving South Korean workers.
Authorities will launch joint investigations whenever they receive reports of labor rights violations at salt farms on remote islands.
The labor ministry said it will apply a zero-tolerance policy to violations reported by the oceans ministry and police.
Authorities will immediately open criminal cases when evidence of assault or forced labor is confirmed.
"Outdated forms of labor exploitation that trample on workers' human rights, including assault and forced labor, cannot be tolerated under any circumstances," Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said.
"We will pursue labor exploitation and human rights violations to the end and respond strictly to legal violations under a zero-tolerance policy," Kim said.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260702010000892