South Korea Lacks Victim Protection Facilities Amidst 70% Surge in Human Trafficking Crimes

Human trafficking and related crimes in South Korea have seen a dramatic increase of nearly 70% over the last five years, with reported cases rising from 582 in 2019 to 989 in 2024. This upward trend continued recently, with a jump of 164 cases in just one year, from 825 in 2023 to 989 in 2024.

Despite this alarming rise in offenses, a critical gap exists in victim support: South Korea has failed to establish any legally mandated regional victim support centers or operational bodies. The "Human Trafficking Prevention Act" stipulates that regional victim rights protection agencies should handle 신고 접수 (reporting), 현장 조사 (on-site investigations), 응급조치 (emergency measures), 상담 (counseling), and 사후관리 (post-care). However, three years after the law's enactment, not a single regional agency has been set up, and related budgets have not been allocated.

“

It is a problem that three years after the law's enforcement, there are no regional protection agencies or support facilities, even though human trafficking crimes and victim identification demands are continuously increasing.

The situation is equally dire for victim support facilities, which are supposed to provide accommodation, emergency rescue, counseling, treatment, and medical aid. Although standards for designation and operation exist in law, no such facilities have been established or designated nationwide. Consequently, the central victim rights protection agency is overwhelmed with cases, leading to a backlog.

Lawmaker Im Jong-deuk of the People Power Party highlighted the severe shortcomings, noting that the number of victim identification committee meetings increased from one in 2023 to seven in 2025, and the number of individuals issued victim certificates rose from three to 42 in the same period. However, the staff handling this growing workload consists of only three people, two of whom juggle other responsibilities. Im Jong-deuk stressed the urgency of allocating budgets and creating an implementation plan for regional protection agencies and support facilities, as mandated by law.

“

As the legal basis and operational standards are established by law, budgets and installation plans must be promptly prepared.