Jeonnam Province Aims to End 'Salt Farm Slave' Stigma... Comprehensive Review of Workers' Human Rights

Jeonnam Province has launched a comprehensive survey of salt farm workers to fundamentally eradicate the human rights abuses that came to light in the past 'Salt Farm Slave' cases. Going beyond a simple inspection, the province aims to identify and address structural problems to prevent recurrence.

On April 29, Jeonnam Province held a kick-off meeting for the 'Salt Farm Workers' Labor Condition Survey' at the provincial government office, discussing the direction and implementation plan of the survey.

More than 20 participants attended the meeting, including representatives from the province and cities/counties, the Mokpo branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency, the Jeonnam Human Rights Commission, and the Jeonnam Research Institute.

Salt Farm Workers Labor Conditions Survey Kickoff Report.
[Photo by Jeonnam Province]

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The survey was initiated to comprehensively examine salt farm workers' employment paths, living and working conditions, wage payment status, possible human rights violations, and health conditions.

The Jeonnam Research Institute will conduct the survey, carrying out interviews and in-depth discussions with both workers and employers until November. In the past, so-called 'Salt Farm Slave' cases involving forced labor and wage exploitation of people with disabilities and vulnerable groups in parts of Jeonnam Province caused significant social shock.

Although the government and local authorities have since stepped up crackdowns and improved regulations, there have continued to be concerns about blind spots in on-site oversight.

Jeonnam Province plans to address the limitations of previous inspections by strengthening field-centered survey methods, focusing on securing effective data while minimizing the burden on production sites. In particular, the survey will go beyond simply identifying the current situation to analyze the structural causes and vulnerability factors of human rights violations, with the aim of developing measures to prevent recurrence.

Son Younggon, Director of Distribution and Processing of Fisheries Products at Jeonnam Province, stated, "It is important to accurately diagnose the root causes to ensure that human rights abuses like those in the past never happen again," adding, "We will develop effective improvement measures based on the survey results."

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