The European Union has again urged South Korea to sign on to the core conventions of the International Labor Organization -- a goal Seoul had agreed to pursue in its FTA with the EU.
In a meeting Tuesday in Seoul with Korea's labor minister, Lee Jae-kap, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom called on Korea to ratify and fully implement the ILO agreements, which include freedom of association and which ban discrimination in employment.
The commissioner added if there's no concrete action, the EU will take the next step and convene a panel of experts to see if the delay constitutes a violation of the FTA.
Minister Lee said a related bill is pending in the National Assembly and that the government is working to ratify the conventions.