A delegation from the Wet'suwet'en Nation will visit South Korea from February 11-15, 2025. Chief Na'Moks, a Hereditary Chief of the Tsayu (Beaver Clan), one of the Five Clans of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, Gwii Lok’im Gibuu(Jesse Stoeppler), the Co-Executive Director for Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition and Deputy Chief of Hagwilget Village Council, along with two activists, will meet with Korea Gas Corporation and the National Human Rights Commission and hold public meetings.
The Wet’suwet’en people are a long-standing indigenous group in British Columbia, Canada. A pipeline has been constructed to transport natural gas to the above area where the Wet’suwet’en people live. This pipeline extends approximately 700 kilometers from the Rocky Mountains to the West Coast and passes through numerous First Nations territories, including that of the Wet’suwet’en Nation (see annex for an overview of the project).
The Wet’suwet’en people have opposed the pipeline, yet the government and companies have illegally appropriated approximately 22,000 square kilometers of land for the pipeline without their free, prior, and informed consent. The pipeline violates their cultural rights by destroying their traditional sites, and it also violates their right to subsistence and environmental rights by destroying forests and contaminating their drinking water. Many indigenous and leaders and activists have been arrested during the protests against the pipeline, and this repression continues today.
This constitutes a grave violation of indigenous peoples' rights to land and resources, self-determination, free, prior, and informed consent, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, cultural rights, a safe environment, and equality and non-discrimination. This includes the right to be free from violence and discrimination, especially against vulnerable groups such as women, girls, and LGBT people. They also constitute grave violations of rights under international human rights instruments, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It is also a violation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which state that businesses must respect human rights, including the right to defend environmental and land rights.
South Korean public enterprises and private companies have been implicated in these human rights violations. Kogas Canada LNG Ltd., a subsidiary of Korea Gas Corporation, has a 5% stake in LNG Canada and is involved in the project. In addition, in connection with a separate LNG project in the same region, Cedar LNG, Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries are building floating facilities and carriers to export the transported LNG.
Through this visit, the delegation hopes to stand in solidarity with South Korean civil society to bring the issue of human rights violations directly to the attention of the South Korean government and call for a responsible response from the South Korean companies involved.
“The LNG industry has invaded and illegally occupied our lands. Removing our women from their homes at gunpoint is a human rights violation. And it's being done with public money from South Korea, for the profit of Korean companies like KOGAS and Samsung. We're asking for your help in holding these companies accountable.” stated Na’Moks, a Hereditary Chief of the Tsayu (Beaver Clan), one of the Five Clans of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.
“South Korean companies are involved in the Canadian LNG project. LNG produced in violation of indigenous peoples' human rights could be imported into South Korea. In accordance with international human rights standards, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, South Korean companies must fulfill their corporate responsibility to respect human rights to prevent, mitigate, and stop the violation of indigenous peoples' rights and environmental degradation of the Canadian LNG project.” said Misol Kang (attorney at law,. KTNC Watch).
[Attachment] Overview of the Canadian LNG Project
Canadian natural gas pipeline construction projects include projects to transport natural gas produced in northeastern British Columbia to the Pacific coast, where it is liquefied and exported. TC Energy is responsible for the construction of the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline, and the natural gas supplied through it is liquefied by LNG Canada and exported to Asian markets. To this end, LNG Canada has built a 14 million tons per year liquefied natural gas (LNG) production plant in the Kitimat region of the Pacific coast for export.
Kogas Canada LNG Ltd. a wholly owned subsidiary of Korea Gas Corporation, holds a 5% stake in LNG Canada and will purchase the LNG produced.
In connection with the Cedar LNG project, an LNG project in the same region, Samsung Heavy Industries is currently constructing a floating LNG terminal, and Hyundai Heavy Industries has either built or is in the process of building LNG carriers for export.