The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Ministry of Justice announced on the 8th that they will conduct a second-half inspection of human rights conditions at fishing households employing foreign seasonal workers from the 9th to the 27th, over a three-week period.
This inspection was organized to carefully examine the working and living environments of foreign seasonal workers and to improve issues identified in the field.
In particular, inspections will focus on cities and counties where suspicions of human rights violations have been raised even after the first-half inspection, or where the scale of seasonal worker allocation is large or the number of newly allocated personnel is high.
For five cities and counties where suspicions of human rights violations have been raised or where the scale of seasonal worker allocation is large, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of Justice, civic groups, and local governments will conduct joint inspections. For other regions (22 cities and counties), the respective city or county will conduct self-inspections.
Key inspection items include compliance with standard employment contracts, provision of adequate housing in preparation for the winter season, enrollment in mandatory insurance, and whether wages have been withheld.
Additionally, through interviews with seasonal workers and other methods, they plan to focus on verifying matters related to infringement of workers' rights, such as the improper retention of passports or bankbooks, whether appropriate wages are being paid, and whether workers can freely communicate with and move outside their workplaces.
If issues such as non-compliance with employment contracts or failure to provide adequate housing are confirmed through the human rights condition inspection, corrective measures will be requested through local governments. If corrective measures are not implemented, penalty points may be imposed on the relevant city or county in accordance with the guidelines of the Immigration and Foreigner Policy Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice, and the allocation of foreign seasonal workers may be restricted.
Cha Yong-ho, Head of the Immigration and Foreigner Policy Headquarters at the Ministry of Justice, stated, "The safety and human rights protection of foreign seasonal workers are fundamental principles that must be upheld." He added, "Through this joint inspection in the fishing sector, we will listen to voices from the field and cooperate with relevant ministries and local governments to protect the human rights of seasonal workers and ensure the stable operation of the system."
Choi Hyun-ho, Director of the Fisheries Policy Office at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, stated, "It is important to substantively improve working and living environments so that foreign seasonal workers can work with peace of mind in fishing sites." He added, "Through this inspection, we will carefully examine factors contributing to human rights violations in the field and work with relevant agencies to improve any issues identified."
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