Labor ministry seminar urges Korean firms to prepare for global ESG supply chain rules

The labor ministry said Thursday that its Korea Labor Foundation held a seminar in Seoul on how Korean companies and their unions can prepare jointly for global ESG rules that are increasingly covering labor and human rights issues in supply chains.

The event, titled "Global ESG Response Strategies Prepared Through Labor-Management Coexistence," took place at 2 p.m. on Oct. 22 at the foundation's headquarters in Seodaemun District, Seoul. It drew corporate human resources and labor managers, ESG officers, and worker and union representatives, who joined in person or watched an online stream.

The foundation organized the seminar because supply chain due diligence and other ESG rules are being written into law in the European Union and other major markets, putting pressure on Korean companies that export and on domestic suppliers to global firms to respond to ESG risks. The foundation has supported Korean firms' handling of international labor standards through programs such as labor management assistance for companies operating overseas.

Much of the discussion focused on labor issues, including workers' rights, human rights, industrial safety, discrimination, forced labor, freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The first session featured Lee Yeon-woo, a senior expert at law firm Pacific, who spoke on global ESG disclosure trends in 2026 and how companies and unions can respond together. The second featured Aihara, chairman of the Japan International Labor Foundation, who presented Japanese cases of sustainability management in labor and the role of trade unions in global supply chains. The third was led by Noh Yong-jin, a professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, who discussed legislation on human rights due diligence in supply chains, its impact on Korean companies and ways to support their response. A question-and-answer session with the speakers followed.

"Global ESG now extends beyond the environmental field to demand sustainable management across the board, including labor and human rights," Park Jong-pil, secretary-general of the Korea Labor Foundation, said. "I hope this seminar becomes an opportunity for companies and trade unions to understand changes in the global ESG environment together and to respond preemptively to risks in the labor and human rights field."

Park said the foundation would continue on-site support so that labor and management can respond to a changing global labor environment through cooperation and communication.