Date｜2025. 10. 29 – 31
Location｜Seoul, Korea
Organizers｜KTNC Watch, Human Rights Now, TTNC Watch
Backgroud｜Transnational corporations (TNCs) based in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan have been implicated in persistent human rights and environmental abuses, including forced labor, labor rights violations, occupational hazards, pollution, and the worsening of climate change. Despite the gravity of these issues, governments in the region have mostly depended on voluntary corporate measures, which have proven ineffective. Affected people face major obstacles in accessing justice, due to weak legal frameworks, poor transparency, and limited stakeholder participation. The absence of mandatory due diligence laws and inadequate remedies highlights the urgent need for stronger corporate accountability and regulatory reform across the region.
In response to these challenges, civil society organizations from South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan have built a growing regional coalition. In 2023, “Transnational Corporations – Toward an East Asian Business and Human Rights Movement | International Conference” in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2024, during the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, the coalition hosted the event “No mHREDD, No Smart Mix - Developing Effective Legal Frameworks in East Asia” and published the report “Labour, Environment and Asian Transnational Corporations – Toward an East Asian Business and Human Rights Movement.”
In 2025, the coalition will convene a three-day regional gathering in Seoul, South Korea, bringing together civil society actors from East and Southeast Asia for two days of closed workshop and a public international forum. The event will address human rights, labor rights, and climate justice issues in key industries - including garments, fishing, and electronics - and explore strategies to hold corporations accountable across transnational supply chains. It will also provide a platform for advocates from host countries of Korea, Japanese, and Taiwanese companies to discuss how affected communities can secure remedies in the companies’ home countries.
Program ｜
Day 1 - Closed Workshop
- Country Updates (Morning, Orakai Daehakro Hotel)
- Industry Breakout Discussions: Supply Chain Mapping and Joint Action Planning (Afternoon, Orakai Daehakro Hotel)
- Documentary Screening (After dinner, Jeon Tae-il Foundation)
Day 2 - Public Event
- Asia Regional Forum on Solidarity and Action for Strengthening Corporate Accountability in Global Supply Chains (All day, National Assembly)
Day 3 - Public Event and Solidarity Visit
- Corporate Accountability and Emerging Agendas: Challenges and Solidarity in East Asian Civil Society: Focusing on technology and human rights (Morning, Orakai Daehakro Hotel)
- Solidarity Field Visit (Afternoon, Samsung Semiconductor Giheung Plant)
Contact｜ktncwatch@gmail.com