NHRCK Chairperson Stresses the Need of Preventing the Recurrence of Human Rights Violations Against Vulnerable Groups, Including Persons with Disabilities, in Salt Farms
- Efforts Needed to Ensure Structural Human Rights Violations Do Not Recur -
Recently, media reports regarding forced labor in salt farms have continued to emerge. Forced labor in salt farms first gained significant social attention in 2014, and subsequent reports in 2021 revealed that such victimisation has persisted.
When the issue of forced labor in salt farms surfaced in 2014, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) conducted a preliminary investigation and distributed educational videos to prevent human rights violations against persons with intellectual disabilities. Between 2014 and 2021, the Commission recommended corrective measures for discrimination in response to complaints filed by persons with disabilities working in salt farms. Furthermore, the Commission worked to bring public attention to the issue by hosting the "International Conference for the Eradication of Forced Labor in Salt Farms" on September 29, 2022.
Whenever the issue of forced labor in salt farms was raised, the government pledged to conduct full-scale surveys of the current situation and provide support for victims. However, even now in 2025, the problem of forced labor in salt farms persists.
In April, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) on salt produced by Taepyung Salt Farm imported from South Korea, citing forced labor. Recently, the U.S. Embassy met with legal counsel and organizations representing a victim who, after going missing and being subjected to labor in a salt farm, was moved to a nursing hospital following the farm's closure and eventually reunited with family. These events indicate that the potential for human rights violations in salt farms remains a serious concern.
The issue of forced labor in salt farms is a structural human rights violation. It results from a combination of factors: closed working environments, the inherent vulnerability of victims (including those with intellectual disabilities), the lack of human rights responsibilities of businesses, and the failure of the government’s social safety net to function effectively.
Preventing such human rights violations requires the sustained attention across society and the concerted efforts of all relevant authorities. As the problem continues to recur, the government must move beyond superficial surveys. It must establish a robust human rights protection system in salt farms through substantial investigations involving independent experts to ensure these issues never happen again. In this process, the vulnerabilities of victims must be fully considered, and comprehensive support measures, including the strengthening of cooperative systems for victim recovery, must be established.
Furthermore, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) state that all businesses, regardless of size, must fulfill their responsibility to respect human rights through Human Rights Due Diligence. Accordingly, salt farm enterprises must ensure that human rights violations do not occur within their business conduct or supply chains. Additionally, the government should consider establishing a policy framework that enables companies to fulfill their responsibility to respect human rights.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea will also take proactive steps to ensure that the rights individuals are entitled to as human beings are not violated. This includes investigating pending complaints related to human rights violations in salt farms and reviewing policies to strengthen the human rights responsibilities of businesses.
December 4, 2025
Ahn Chang Ho
Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of Korea
