US Trade Representative Meets Labor Secretary to Cooperate on Eradicating Forced Labor in Global Supply Chains

USTR Representative Katherine Tai Meets with Employment Minister Ahn Kyung-duk
Discuss Cooperation Projects Based on Korea-US FTA Labor Chapter
Agree to Hold Bilateral Labor Council in First Half of Next Year... First Time in 9 Years Since 2013

Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyung-duk (left) and Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative (USTR), pose for a commemorative photo on the morning of the 19th while discussing bilateral issues related to the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA). (Photo by Ministry of Employment and Labor)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), who visited Korea to attend the joint committee discussing the implementation and current issues of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA), proposed cooperation between the two countries to eradicate forced labor and exploitative practices in the global supply chain during her meeting with An Kyung-duk, Minister of Employment and Labor.

As her first schedule after arriving in Korea, Tai met with Minister An on the 19th and introduced the Biden administration's "worker-centered trade policy." She suggested strengthening cooperation between the two countries to promote international labor standards, including enhancing collaboration through the labor-related cooperation mechanisms of the Korea-U.S. FTA and bilateral cooperation to improve labor rights in third countries.

It is unusual for the USTR representative, equivalent to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, to meet with the Minister of Employment and Labor. This meeting was arranged at Tai's request to meet with Minister An.

During the meeting, Minister An stated, "The labor chapter of the Korea-U.S. FTA was established to improve workers' fundamental labor rights and achieve sustainable development alongside trade liberalization." He introduced that "the Korean government has made efforts to realize a 'labor-respecting society' by ratifying three International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, achieving progress in enhancing fundamental labor rights to an international standard."

The labor chapter of the Korea-U.S. FTA aims to adopt and maintain in domestic laws and practices the principles of freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, elimination of child labor, abolition of forced labor, and prohibition of discrimination, as declared in the ILO's fundamental labor rights declaration, to create a fair competitive environment between trading parties. It also includes cooperation mechanisms in employment and labor sectors. These mechanisms involve establishing a labor consultative body composed of director-level officials from both countries, consultations on matters related to the implementation of the agreement, and allowing either party to submit opinions on issues related to the agreement.

During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the cooperation mechanisms of the labor chapter and agreed to hold the second labor consultative meeting in the first half of next year. This will be the first such meeting in nine years since March 2013. The consultative meeting will discuss the implementation status of the labor chapter by both countries, major current issues, and plans to promote cooperative projects to sufficiently protect workers' rights amid the expansion of trade liberalization. Additionally, they agreed to focus on cooperative projects to strengthen the capacity of Korean and U.S. companies operating in third countries to comply with local labor laws and protect workers' labor rights.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.