Human trafficking in South Korea

Human trafficking in South Korea refers to the illegal trade of humans for the purposes of forced labor, debt bondage, and slavery-like practices within the Republic of Korea. While South Korea is a highly developed democracy with the tenth-largest economy in the world, it continues to face persistent challenges regarding the exploitation of vulnerable populations. The primary victims of labor trafficking are foreign migrant workers from Southeast and Central Asia, as well as South Korean nationals with intellectual disabilities or those experiencing homelessness.

The South Korean government has ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, commonly known as the Palermo Protocol. In the 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report (covering data from 2024), the United States Department of State designated South Korea as a Tier 1 country, indicating that the government fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. However, this designation remains controversial among human rights organizations and labor unions, who argue that state-sponsored labor migration programs—specifically the Employment Permit System (EPS) and the Seasonal Worker Program (SWP)—contain structural flaws that facilitate forced labor. Furthermore, the recurring discovery of enslaved disabled persons in remote rural areas has drawn international condemnation regarding the country's protection of its most vulnerable citizens.

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