The United States has enacted a ban on importing sea salt products from Taepyung, a major South Korean salt farm, following accusations of slave labor use. This decision marks the first instance of international trade sanctions being imposed over longstanding labor issues on South Korea’s remote salt farms. U.S. Customs and Border Protection implemented an order that halts the entry of these goods at all U.S. ports, citing evidence of forced labor practices at Taepyung, located on Jeungdo Island in Sinan County, a hub for the nation’s sea salt production.
Taepyung is Korea’s largest salt farm, responsible for producing about 16,000 tons of salt annually, which makes up roughly 6% of South Korea’s total salt output. It supplies many South Korean food companies and has been embroiled in forced labor allegations in previous years such as 2014 and 2021. South Korean government officials acknowledged that this is the first such instance of a foreign nation banning imports from a domestic company due to forced labor issues.
In response, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry indicated that relevant governmental departments, such as the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, have been actively working on the labor practices at Taepyung since 2021. They asserted no current salt production involves forced labor, and they announced their intent to engage in dialogue with U.S. authorities on this matter. The fisheries ministry also mentioned their commitment to quickly review necessary measures for the rescission of the U.S. import ban.
The exploitation on Sinan’s salt farms was first brought to light in 2014, when numerous victims of slavery, many disabled, were rescued following a police investigation. Their stories exposed the persistence of slavery practices despite public awareness and legal actions. The U.S. Customs’ investigation of Taepyung found various indicators of forced labor, such as abuse of vulnerability, deception, and coercive conditions, which included withholding wages and excessive overtime.
Choi Jung Kyu, a lawyer part of the efforts to petition for U.S. intervention against South Korean salt farms, hopes the U.S. embargo will compel South Korea to take more substantial steps to eradicate such abuses. According to Choi, while the courts have acknowledged governmental responsibility, effective eradication has not yet been achieved. They seek that this trade measure will push companies to enhance due diligence concerning their supply chains to extinguish human rights violations.
Additionally, Choi’s firm and other advocacy groups for slavery victims have called on the South Korean government for harsher measures against trafficking and forced labor, echoing criticisms of inadequate support for victims, which sometimes results in their return to exploitative conditions.
Shocking revelations about abuses began early in 2014 when police officers disguised as tourists orchestrated the rescue of a missing individual, exposing a web of complicity involving local police and farm owners. Though many farm owners and brokers faced indictment, allegations of police complicity went unpunished. Legal breakthroughs did occur; in 2019, South Korea’s Supreme Court recognized government negligence by awarding compensation to three enslaved men, highlighting the failure of local authorities in safeguarding workers’ welfare.
The issue was reignited in 2021 following reports of continued labor abuses at Taepyung, confirming forced labor and wage theft among workers. The ongoing challenge intensifies the call for reforms in labor practices and reinforces the urgent need for comprehensive action to prevent future abuses.