The U.S. Department of Labor and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative met with their counterparts in the Republic of Korea April 25 to strengthen and protect labor rights.
The countries’ representatives met as members of the Labor Affairs Council, which was established as part of the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement, called KORUS, according to an April 27 release.
“We remain committed to our strong trade and labor relationship with South Korea, which is bolstered through engagement like this,” Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Joshua Kagan said, according to the release.
Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee said the two countries began a new chapter of collaboration to strengthen and protect labor rights and across shared supply chains after a decade of working under the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the release reported.
The council held in-depth discussions on topics including steps to strengthen workers’ rights domestically, exploration of a trilateral cooperation project with the International Labor Organization and a advances and challenges in the elimination of forced labor from shared supply chains, the release said.
“This Labor Affairs Council meeting under KORUS, including the public session, demonstrates our partnership with South Korea to achieve shared goals in protecting workers globally and advancing labor rights under the agreement,” Kagan said in the release.
