Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Conducts Special Inspection on Seafarers' Wage Arrears Ahead of Lunar New Year Holiday

Strict Measures Including Legal Action for Non-Payment of Unpaid Wages

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 2nd that it will conduct a "special labor inspection to prevent and resolve seafarers' wage arrears" for three weeks from the 3rd to the 21st in celebration of the Lunar New Year holiday.

This special labor inspection will be carried out by inspection teams composed of seafarer labor inspectors from 11 regional maritime affairs and fisheries offices. The inspection will focus on companies with habitual seafarer wage arrears and those suspected of wage arrears.

For companies found to have seafarer wage arrears during this special inspection, immediate instructions will be given to prepare measures to settle the unpaid wages, and continuous follow-up inspections will be conducted. If the issue is not resolved even after notification of wage payment, a "wage arrears confirmation certificate" will be issued to the affected seafarers, and for seafarers requiring legal support, the Korea Seafarers Welfare and Employment Center will provide various free legal services through the "Free Legal Aid Project for Seafarers," conducted in cooperation with the Korea Legal Aid Corporation.

If the company fails to settle the wage arrears, strict measures such as judicial prosecution will be taken in accordance with Article 168 of the Seafarers Act. For seafarers who cannot receive their wages due to company insolvency or bankruptcy, guidance will be provided to receive payment through the "Seafarers' Wage Claim Guarantee Fund System."

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries conducts special labor inspections every year before holidays to prevent and resolve seafarers' wage arrears. Last Chuseok, it contributed to ensuring that 58 seafarers working at 24 workplaces received approximately 529 million KRW in overdue wages.

Kim Seokhoon, head of the Seafarer Policy Division at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, stated, "We will do our best to resolve wage arrears so that seafarers can spend a warm Lunar New Year holiday," and added, "Habitual wage arrears businesses will be strictly dealt with according to the law."

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