The Dark Side of South Korea's Seafood Culinary Culture

South Korea's culture and gastronomy have made it one of the countries with the highest per capita seafood consumption worldwide. At 58.4 kilograms per year, South Korea's per person consumption of seafood far surpasses the Asian average of 20 to 40 kilograms and is almost triple the global average of 20.5 kilograms. Domestic production meets about 60% to 65% of this demand, with 38% coming from capture fisheries.

However, the high demand for seafood is not matched by the availability of domestic labor. In response, the South Korean government has relaxed regulations on foreign labor in the fishing sector. Many Indonesian workers are interested in filling these positions for various reasons. These include significantly higher wages, training, overseas work experience, and guaranteed employment protection. But, not all of these promises have been fulfilled. Various labor violations still frequently occur.

This project aims to investigate why the South Korean government's efforts to eliminate forced labor practices against foreign seafarers have failed over the past two years. It also looks into how Indonesian employment agencies collaborate with South Korean companies to perpetuate these practices by taking advantage of the high demand for labor.