South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries emphasized once again that it has made efforts to protect the human rights of foreign crew members on Korean ships, by checking their working conditions regularly with human rights activists, as well as their employers and unionized fishermen.
“To attract excellent foreign fishermen, the government will also support shipping companies that train foreign apprentices and ease regulations on long-term stay of foreign fishermen who have worked diligently,” Minister Cho Seung-hwan said in a press conference, Tuesday.
His remarks came after a recent conflict between human rights activists and employers of foreign crew members, over allegations that migrant fishermen are still vulnerable to human rights violations.
In May, the Advocates for Public Interest Law and the Environmental Justice Foundation issued a report claiming that foreign workers on Korean-owned deep-sea fishing vessels are forced to work overtime and are paid less than the minimum wage.
Citing a survey conducted on foreign crew members, the organizations called for urgent measures to prevent discrimination against migrant fishermen.
“Labor inspections have been led by the Korea Overseas Fisheries Association (KOFA) that represents the owners of deep-sea fishing vessels,” the activists said at that time. “Civic groups are not allowed to participate in the quarterly labor inspections nor have access to the findings.”
In April, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea also expressed concerns over the maritime ministry being silent on the commission’s request to legislate the labor standards of migrant fishermen. The ministry only said at that time it will gradually increase the minimum wage of foreign crew members by 2026 to as high as the minimum wage of Korean crew members.
The KOFA, however, claimed last month that working conditions for foreign crew members have been improved over the past couple of years.
“All owners of deep-sea fishing vessels are prioritizing the human rights of workers, regardless of their nationality,” KOFA Chairman Yoon Myung-kil said.
During the latest press conference, the maritime ministry also unveiled its plans to allow more holidays and offer tax benefits for Korean fisherman, as part of efforts to cope with the shortage of skilled young Koreans prepared to work on fishing boats.
The ministry, however, denied the speculation that it devised a “two-track” strategy to increase the supply of both Korean and foreign fishermen.
“Unionized Korean fishermen basically oppose giving foreign fishermen the job positions that Koreans want,” the minister said. “We are considering training excellent foreign workers, so that they can stay in Korea with E-7 visas and eventually acquire Korean nationality.”