Home » Corporate social responsibility » Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders » South Korea: government re-launches ratification process of fundamental ILO conventions in order to avoid EU trade retaliation South Korea: government re-launches ratification process of fundamental ILO conventions in order to avoid EU trade retaliation Under pressure from the European Union for non-compliance with the free trade agreement, South Korea’s government announced that it had relaunched the process of ratifying the ILO conventions on freedom of association, the right to organize and bargain collectively, and the prohibition of forced labour (albeit only one of the conventions, with the other still requiring some legal adaptation). This free trade agreement, which entered into force in 2015, intends for these fundamental conventions to be ratified as part of the social clauses that are developing within trade agreements geared to making them an instrument for promoting social standards and combating social dumping (c.f. Article No. 12012 on the new European strategy on the topic). In 2019 the EU had warned that it would have to react severely (c.f. article No. 11080) in the absence of a rapid ratification by South Korea of the ILO Conventions. The avenue provided for in the agreement is the temporary suspension of trade preferences procedure. In March 2020, the new EU Trade Commissioner, Phil Hogan, said he was "ready to suspend" the bi-lateral trade agreement if the group of experts in charge of monitoring confirmed South Korean law was non-compliant. However the report was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. South Korea’s first attempt at ratification stalled in parliament, but the new legislature, in which the ruling party has a majority, is now expected to drive the process right through to completion. Through . Published on 08 July 2020 à 12h15 - Update on 08 July 2020 à 12h05 Resources Need more info ? Contact mind's on-demand study service Which service do you want to contact :WritingCommercial serviceTechnical SupportFirst name Last name Organization Function email* Object of the message Your messageCommentsThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Essentials Les dernières publications Supporting parenthood in the workplace: a win-win strategy Supporting employee carers: a CSR challenge Analyzes Les dernières publications Paternity leave: data observations from 41 countries EU: during H1 2022 five EU Member States have raised their minimum salary levels