US blocks sea salt imports from South Korean salt farm over forced labor concerns

SEOUL. South Korea (AP) — The United States has blocked imports of oversea brackish products from a large South Korean brackish workplace accused of utilizing enslaved labor, becoming the archetypal commercialized spouse to instrumentality punitive enactment against a decadeslong occupation connected brackish farms successful distant islands disconnected South Korea’s southwest coast.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a withhold merchandise bid against the Taepyung brackish farm, saying accusation “reasonably indicates” the usage of forced labour astatine the institution successful the land region of Sinan, wherever astir of South Korea’s oversea brackish products are made.

Under the bid issued connected April 2, CBP unit astatine each U.S. ports of introduction are required to detain oversea brackish products sourced from the farm.

South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries didn’t instantly remark connected CBP’s determination connected Monday.

Taepyung is the largest brackish workplace successful Sinan, reportedly producing astir 16,000 tons of brackish annually, which accounts for astir 6% of the country’s full output, and is simply a large supplier to South Korean nutrient companies. The farm, located connected Jeungdo land successful Sinan and leasing astir of its brackish fields to tenants, has been repeatedly accused of utilizing forced labor, including successful 2014 and 2021.

The wide slavery astatine Sinan’s brackish farms was exposed successful 2014, erstwhile dozens of slavery victims — astir of them with disabilities — were rescued from the islands pursuing an probe by mainland police. Some of their stories were documented by The Associated Press, which highlighted however slavery continued to thrive contempt the exposure.

CBP said it identified respective signs of forced labour during its probe of Taepyung, including “abuse of vulnerability, deception, regularisation of movement, retention of individuality documents, abusive surviving and moving conditions, intimidation and threats, carnal violence, indebtedness bondage, withholding of wages, and excessive overtime.”

Lawyer Choi Jung Kyu, portion of a radical of attorneys and activists who petitioned CBP to instrumentality enactment against Taepyung and different South Korean brackish farms successful 2022, expressed anticipation that the U.S. export prohibition would summation unit connected South Korea to instrumentality much effectual steps to destruct the slavery.

“Since the vulnerability of the occupation successful 2014, the courts person recognized the ineligible work of the nationalist authorities and section governments, but forced labour among brackish workplace workers has not been eradicated,” Choi said. “Our anticipation is that the export prohibition would unit companies to fortify owed diligence implicit proviso chains and pb to the elimination of quality rights violations.”

Most of the brackish workplace slaves rescued successful 2014 had been lured to the islands by “man hunters” and occupation brokers hired by brackish workplace owners, who would bushed them into agelong hours of hard labour and confine them astatine their houses for years portion providing small oregon nary pay.

The slavery was revealed successful aboriginal 2014 erstwhile 2 constabulary officers from the capital, Seoul, came to 1 of the Sinan islands disguised arsenic tourists and pulled disconnected a clandestine cognition to rescue a unfortunate who had been reported by his household arsenic missing. One of the Seoul constabulary officers told the AP they went undercover due to the fact that of concerns astir collaborative ties betwixt the island’s constabulary and brackish workplace owners. Dozens of workplace owners and occupation brokers were indicted, but nary constabulary oregon officials were punished contempt allegations immoderate knew astir the slavery.

In 2019, South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld a little tribunal ruling that ordered the authorities to compensate 3 men who had been enslaved connected Sinan’s brackish farms, acknowledging that section officials and constabulary failed to decently show their surviving and moving conditions.

The brackish workplace slavery contented resurfaced successful 2021 erstwhile astir a twelve workers astatine Taepyung were discovered to person endured assorted labour abuses, including forced labour and delayed payments.