What We Do
Issues in relation to human rights violations, labor rights violations and environmental destruction have increased along with the increase in the number of Korean multinational corporations. Labor rights
Monitoring Public Financing
Access to Remedy
National Policy
International Solidarity
International Advocacy
Raising Awareness
Monitoring Public Financing
KTNC Watch monitors public financing to prevent funding going to corporations that commit human rights violations or into development projects that have negative environmental impacts. KTNC Watch challenges Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), investment by Korea’s National Pension Service and the Export-Import Bank of Korea, overseas resource development and any other support that does not take into consideration human rights or the environment. Through monitoring the activities of Korean multinational corporations KTNC Watch seeks to bring about improvements in the public financing decision-making processes.
Access to Remedy
KTNC Watch assists victims to access judicial and non-judicial remedies. It utilizes the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, lodges complaints with the OECD National Contact Point (NCP), presents petitions to the Korea National Human Rights Commission, submits communications through the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Communications complaint procedure, and takes legal action through judicial procedures including lawsuits. KTNC Watch also seeks to achieve institutional improvements so that victims can access practical remedies.
National policy
KTNC Watch monitors Korean national policies including National Action Plans (NAP), and proposes items for the parliamentary agenda. These activities ensure national policies and regulations maintain their consistency and effectiveness in compelling corporations to respect human rights. KTNC Watch has also proposed a bill for the regular investigation of human rights violations by multinational corporations, and is currently lobbying for this type of legislation.
International solidarity
KTNC Watch cooperates with various international networks. It has worked with the Asian Transnational Corporations Monitoring Network since 2003. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a human rights organization promoting and protecting human rights in Asia, is also a coordinating partner. The organizations that make up the KTNC Watch network actively participate in other networks, such as the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and Good Electronics. KTNC Watch also participates in a variety of international campaigns that target Korean corporations.
International advocacy
KTNC Watch provides assistance to victims of all nationalities who have suffered loss or injury as a result of the activities of Korean multinational corporations. This includes both regional and international legal help, judicial and non-judicial remedies, and the filing of petitions. KTNC Watch actively cooperates with regional and international human rights organizations and lawyers to provide victims with this assistance.
Raising awareness
KTNC Watch denounces severe human rights violations committed by Korean multinational corporations. KTNC Watch also educates about the systems and mechanisms that cause these human rights related problems to persist. Through such education KTNC Watch aims to raise awareness about business and human rights issues.