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Recommendation to Accede to ILO Conventions N 29 and N 105 [2006] KRNHRC 16 (23 November 2006)

The Commission proposed the Republic of Korea accede to and ratify the ILO Forced
Labour Convention (Convention No. 29) and the Abolition of Forced Labour
Convention (Convention No. 105) as key implementation tasks in the Recommendation
on Human Rights NAP. Convention No. 29 has been ratified by 170 countries and
Convention No. 105 has been ratified by 165 countries; only 10 countries are yet to
ratify Convention No. 105. The government of the Republic of Korea pledged to
accede to the Conventions as part of the pledge to be elected a member of the UN
Human Rights Council. Given the nation's international standing, as evidenced by its
ranking No. 11 in financial contributions to the ILO and becoming an executive
member of the ILO for 12 consecutive years, the international demand is increasing for
Korea to accede to the Conventions.

Based on the conclusion that ratifying these two key Conventions in the forced
labor area would serve as a bridge for the Republic of Korea to join the ranks of
advanced countries in human rights, the Commission recommended that the Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister of Labor accede to these two Convention
on November 23, 2006. These conventions are closely related to the rights of citizens
guaranteed by the Constitution, including human dignity, personal freedom, right to
labor and freedom of expression, and ratification will prove helpful to the
implementation of the "rule of law."