Business and Human Rights Case Study of Korean Companies Operating Overseas: Challenges and a New National Action Plan

As companies from the Republic of Korea are becoming more transnational, they are increasingly exposed to the risks of being involved in serious human rights abuses in conflict-affected areas or weak governance zones. Therefore, there are increasing calls for Korean companies to exercise effective human rights due diligence measures in all of their global operations for compliance with the 2011 UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The National Human Rights Commission in the Republic of Korea, in particular, has been at the forefront of promoting the UN Guiding Principles in Korea. More specifically, on July 2016, the National Commission on Human Rights submitted a formal recommendation to the Korean government to adopt a new National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. In light of these developments, this paper aims to present ways in which the Korean government can strengthen its legal system and capacity to tackle serious corporate human rights abuses based on a series of case studies involving Korean companies.