- Korea Seafarer’s Welfare & Employment Center launches Shipboard Harassment Counseling System, offering counseling services to seafarers via dedicated phone numbers, email, and Kakao Talk messaging -

  The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (Minister CHO Seung Hwan) will be launching the Shipboard Harassment Counseling and Reporting System via the Korea Seafarer’s Welfare & Employment Center this May to protect the rights of sea crew, who are vulnerable to harassment issues due to the enclosed environment and long service periods aboard.

 After the discussion between Minister Cho and the current and prospective sailors during the Young Seafarers Policy Committee Meeting last March, MOF immediately worked towards establishing the counseling and reporting system.

 From now on, any sailor facing harassment, such as abuse of power, unfair treatment, or bullying, can immediately report the behavior and request counseling. Counseling and complaint handling for the sailors will be provided by dedicated staff at the Korea Seafarer’s Welfare & Employment Center, who have received training in counseling and complaint management.

 Considering the severity of the incident and the circumstances of the ship operations, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will recommend actions, such as the separation of the offenders and the victims and reallocation, while establishing measures to prevent recurrence.

 While sailors previously faced challenges as limited reporting channels were available via shipowners or shipowner associations, it is now expected that they will have improved access to counseling services via the government-operated Korea Seafarer’s Welfare & Employment Center.

 Director General Yoon Hyun Soo, Head of the Shipping and Logistics Bureau at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries promised to “work towards eradicating shipboard harassment to protect the rights of the seafarers, the core workforce on vessels.” He also added that the Ministry will “continue to improve the working environment on ships for young sailors, as we witness the recent trend of the next generation of seafarers avoiding work aboard vessels.”