On 13 June 2025, Asia’s first mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence bill was reintroduced in South Korea’s National Assembly. The Bill developed by Korean civil society organisations, in particular KTNC Watch, was initially introduced to Parliament in September 2023 but collapsed at the end of the Parliament term. After undergoing revision and review, the Legislative Bill for the Act on the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment for Sustainable Business Management (in English), was reintroduced last year.
Ji Yoon Kang, Staff Attorney at GongGam Human Rights Law Foundation and a member of KTNC Watch, who has been directly involved in the drafting process of the Bill and its reintroduction to Parliament, provide us insights about recent legal developments and the general corporate accountability context in South Korea.
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