US Department of Labor hosts 1st Labor Affairs Council meeting under US-Korea Free Trade Agreement

WASHINGTON — Senior officials from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Trade Representative today issued a joint statement with their counterparts from the Republic of Korea following the first meeting of the Labor Affairs Council under the 2012 U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

The council is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the labor chapter of the free trade agreement and activities related to labor obligations. At the meeting, officials reaffirmed their commitments under the Labor Chapter of the free trade agreement and focused on areas for future cooperation, including the collection and analysis of employment and labor statistics, and collaboration on advancing corporate compliance with international labor standards in global supply chains.

"We are very pleased with the progress that's been made over the past two days," said acting Deputy Undersecretary of Labor for International Affairs Carol Pier. "We look forward to continuing the productive discussions we started here and to pursuing our shared goals of closer cooperation on important labor issues of common interest."

The joint statement is available at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/otla/KORUS-LAC2013.pdf.