On April 2, 2025, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) imposed a Withhold Release Order (WRO) on salt produced by Taepyeong Salt Farm, the largest sea salt producer in the Republic of Korea. In response, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as local governments such as Jeollanam-do Province and Sinan County, issued press releases. These statements claimed that the 2021 incident on which the WRO was based was merely a case of unpaid wages by a tenant of Taepyeong Salt Farm, and that no forced labor had occurred since then. The Korean government pledged to make its utmost efforts to support Taepyeong Salt Farm in lifting the U.S. import ban swiftly.
Reportedly, South Korean officials planned to engage with CBP to seek withdrawal or revocation of the Withhold Release Order (WRO) in the near future. However, we strongly oppose lifting the import ban unless there is concrete action to prevent the recurrence of forced labor and, in particular, to provide remedies for the victims.
In the salt production supply chain of Taepyeong Salt Farm, over KRW 510 million (approximately USD 380,000) in unpaid wages was acknowledged by Korean courts (Gwangju District Court Mokpo Branch Case 2021GoDan1621; Gwangju High Court Case 2024No2528). Despite the court rulings, the victims have not received a single penny of their unpaid wages, let alone compensation for the damages caused by forced labor.1
Although the Korean government claims that no forced labor has occurred since 2021, a 2022–2023 report (Extract English Translation) by Jeollanam-do Province found that workers, approximately 39.1% of whom are suspected to have developmental disabilities, were recruited to work in salt farms in Sinan County and experienced various and severe human rights violations during the labor process.2
These findings clearly demonstrate that, even after 2021, salt farm labor practices continued to meet several indicators of forced labor as defined by the ILO: abuse of vulnerability, deception, debt bondage, excessive working hours, withheld wages, restriction of movement, and poor living and working conditions. Yet, the government has taken no action to identify or assist the victims or to prosecute perpetrators based on the report.
One of the victims rescued in 2021 had been forced to work for seven years after entering the salt farm in 2014. It is therefore impossible to rule out the likelihood that similar forced labor practices — especially involving persons with developmental disabilities — continue today.
Apart from the absence of remedies for survivors, another reason forced labor persists is the absence of legal accountability. Perpetrators are rarely prosecuted, and companies bear no responsibility. Even in the 2021 case at Taepyeong Salt Farm, the perpetrator was not charged under the Labor Standards Act’s provisions for forced labor. Not only Taepyung Salt Farm, but also Major food companies are producing salt for export using salt farms in Sinan as part of their supply chains. However, the South Korean government does not conduct any monitoring to ensure that these companies are carrying out proper human rights due diligence within their supply chains.
We express deep concern that, despite confirmation of forced labor in salt farms by the U.S. CBP, the Korean government is focused on defending the company involved in such abuses rather than acknowledging the problem and addressing it. If the Korean government had punished perpetrators, provided remedies for victims, and held companies accountable when the “salt farm slavery” scandal first emerged, such abuses could have been eliminated long ago.
We urge the Korean government to take the following steps to redress victims and eradicate forced labor in salt farms. And we respectfully request that the U.S. CBP not lift or withdraw the import ban on Taepyeong Salt Farm salt until these measures are implemented and full reparation has been provided to the victims.
We call for:
Full financial compensation, including unpaid wages, to all forced labor victims in Taepyeong Salt Farm’s supply chain.
Legislative and policy measures to ensure that acts constituting ILO-defined forced labor are punishable under Korean domestic law.
Establishment of a support system for the self-reliance of victims of forced labor in salt farms.
Introduction of legal and institutional mechanisms requiring food companies with salt farm supply chains to conduct human rights due diligence.
Action to identify victims and prosecute perpetrators based on the 2022–2023 Jeollanam-do investigation.
Regular participatory investigations involving civil society organizations, including trade unions, to monitor and prevent forced labor in salt farms.
April 28, 2025
Advocates for Public Interest Law, Climate Ocean Research Institute (CORI), Durebang, Durebang Shelter, GongGam Human Rights Law Foundation, GYEONGJU MIGRANT LABOR CENTER, Hwawoo probono foundation, JCMK(Joint Committee with Migrants in Korea), Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Korean Disability Forum, Korean House for International Solidarity, Korean Lawyers for Public Interest and Human Rights, Korean Transnational Corporations Watch, Migration and Human Rights Institute, Law Firm DLG, Law Firm Wongok (Legal Support Center Fighting Chance), Lawyers for a Democratic Society, NANCEN Refugee Rights Center, National Solidarity against Sexual Exploitation of Women, Pyeongtaek Women's Human Rights Counseling Center Pum, Research Institute of the Differently Abled Person's Right in Gyeongido, Research Institute for the Differently Abled Person’s Right in Korea, Research Institute of the Differently Abled Person's Rights in Korea, St. Joseph Labor House, Transitional Justice Working Group
“As stated in Items 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 11, 13, and 14 of the Crime List annexed hereto, the defendant failed to fully pay the total amount of KRW 511,109,999 in wages to eight workers on their respective regular payday(s) during the period from June 1, 2017, to October 31, 2021, using the same method.” (Kwangju Mokpo Subdistrict Court 2021 GoDan 1621 Case Decision page 11).
49.3% of workers entered the salt farms through paid recruitment agencies. Among those, 61.8% experienced advance payment and advance payment deduction (deduction of the referral fee). Of these, 17.6% did not sign an employment introduction contract, 8.8% found that the actual job differed from what they were told, and 5.9% were introduced to jobs in industries different from what they had originally sought. 33.3% either had no fixed period of employment or were unaware of the length of their employment. 24.6% had to engage in tasks other than salt production, such as rice farming, onion farming, seaweed cultivation, or maintaining vegetable gardens. While 20.3% of the workers signed labor contracts, they were not given a copy, and 13% did not sign any labor contract at all. Additionally, 7.2% said they did not know what a labor contract was. 65.2% did not receive pay slips, and 26.1% said they did not know what a pay slips was. On average, they worked from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., totaling about 14.5 hours per day. They worked an average of 6.5 days per week, and had only 1.8 days off per month on average. 11.6% received their wages annually. The average monthly wage was KRW 2,121,287, which is only about two-thirds of the legal minimum wage. 23.2% worked at workplaces with no rest areas. 50.7% shared living spaces with other workers, while 18.8% lived together with the employer. 11.6% said they were dissatisfied with their housing, citing reasons such as cramped space, unsanitary and deteriorating conditions including bad odors, mold, insects, and outdoor toilets. 30.4% had no paid annual leave, 37.7% did not know what annual leave was, and 10.1% were not allowed to freely take sick leave. 11.6% could only go outside of workplace with the employer’s assistance, and 5.8% stated their freedom to leave was restricted. 20.3% said they had to negotiate with their employer in order to resign or change jobs, and 7.2% reported facing difficulties when trying to resign or transfer employment.
(“2022–2023 Jeollanam-do Survey on the Working Conditions of Salt Farm Laborers” page 71 onward).
