Daewoo Engineering & Construction Faces Indigenous Rights Controversy in Philippine Dam Project... Government Mediation Process Begins
by Kang Nahum
Published 30 Jan.2026 11:30(KST)
Allegations of Human Rights Violations During Halau River Dam Construction
Facilitating Dialogue Between the Parties
Daewoo Engineering & Construction, the contractor for the Halau River Dam construction project in the Philippines, has been placed under government mediation due to controversy over alleged human rights violations against indigenous peoples.
On January 30, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that it had convened the "2026 1st Korea NCP Committee" and decided to initiate a mediation process regarding a complaint filed against Daewoo Engineering & Construction under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct. The initial evaluation is a stage to determine whether facilitating dialogue between the parties can help resolve the issue; it does not assess whether the company has violated the guidelines.
This case concerns the Halau River Dam and irrigation facilities construction project, which is being promoted with support from Korea's Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) to the Philippine government. The Tumandok indigenous people (native residents who have lived in the area for a long time), along with the civil society organizations "People's Action for Halau River" and the "Corporate and Human Rights Network," filed a complaint with the Korea NCP (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy) against Daewoo Engineering & Construction in September last year. They claim that the Philippine government violated indigenous peoples' human rights during the project and that Daewoo Engineering & Construction failed to conduct human rights due diligence to prevent, mitigate, and remedy these violations.
The Korea NCP determined that it is necessary to facilitate dialogue between Daewoo Engineering & Construction and the complainants to help resolve the issue. However, considering that this is a government-led project by the Philippine government, and that Daewoo Engineering & Construction's business activities and scope of responsibility are limited, the mediation process will focus on reaching an agreement between the two sides.
Going forward, the Korea NCP plans to form a mediation committee that includes private sector members and operate a voluntary mediation process with the participation of both parties. The results of the mediation will be published as a final statement, and the case will be closed within 12 months of the filing date.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy believes that this process will serve as an opportunity to establish international standards for responsible business conduct and respect for human rights in Korea, and plans to continue ensuring fair and transparent procedures for complaints under the OECD Guidelines in the future.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.