"Human Trafficking, South Korea Considered Safe Zone" US Classifies as 'Tier 1' After 3 Years

South Korea has regained a Tier 1 ranking in the U.S. Department of State's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report after three years.

On the 24th (local time), the U.S. Department of State released the "2024 Trafficking in Persons Report." The report classified 33 countries or regions, including South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Australia, and France, as Tier 1.

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is announcing the '2024 Trafficking in Persons Report.'
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Tier 1 refers to countries that fully meet the minimum standards of the U.S. domestic law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), aimed at eradicating human trafficking.

In the 2022 TIP report, South Korea was downgraded from Tier 1 to Tier 2 for the first time in 20 years and remained in Tier 2 last year. It has now returned to Tier 1 after three years since 2021.

The Department of State stated in the report, "The South Korean government fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking," and added, "During the reporting period, the South Korean government achieved significant accomplishments to meet the standards, resulting in its promotion to Tier 1."

However, the Department of State evaluated that the South Korean government was insufficient in actively investigating and monitoring labor-related human trafficking cases. It also pointed out that no identification reports were made regarding foreign forced labor victims in the fisheries sector, and no prosecutions were made concerning human trafficking in the distant-water fishing industry, where cases continue to be reported. Additionally, it noted that some vulnerable groups, such as foreign workers employed under the Employment Permit System, were not actively monitored.

Furthermore, the Department of State reported that most offenders convicted of trafficking-related crimes in South Korean courts received sentences of less than one year in prison, fines, or probation.

North Korea was again classified as Tier 3 (total of 21 countries) this year, marking the 22nd consecutive year at the lowest tier. The Department of State stated, "The North Korean government has shown no meaningful efforts to address trafficking," and pointed out that government-level trafficking policies were in operation in political prison camps and labor reeducation camps, along with forced mobilization related to overseas labor dispatch.

China, Russia, Cuba, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Iran, and Syria were also classified as Tier 3. Regarding China, the report highlighted that forced labor policies are being implemented under the guise of vocational training for ethnic minorities, including residents of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Japan was classified as Tier 2.

This report evaluated 188 countries (or regions), including the United States, for the period from April 1, 2023, to March 31 of this year. Since 2001, the United States has published the TIP report annually under the TVPA and submitted it to Congress.