Child labour: one South Korean teen in three starts to work before the legal age

A study by the National Youth Policy Institute of middle and high school students highlights the problem, criticising the working conditions teenagers face. Only 18 per cent of adolescents who suffer some form of abuse file a complaint. Most are employed in food services or online content creation.

Seoul (AsiaNews) – More than a third of South Korean teenagers with work experience started before the age of 15, the minimum age established by law, this according to a report by the National Youth Policy Institute, published last month.

The study, which raises concerns about the spread of child labour in South Korea, is based on a survey of 7,212 middle and high school students. Of these, 1,414 respondents were engaged in paid work; 34.5 per cent started before the legal age of 15, while 11.3 per cent even before the age of 13.

Among middle school students, 31.2 per cent started working before the age of 13, a significantly higher figure than the 3 per cent found among high school students.

The sectors in which adolescents are most employed include restaurant (40.1 per cent), wedding halls (17.1 per cent), YouTube content creation (13.9 per cent), event assistance (11.8 per cent), and flyer distribution (11.7 per cent).

The report highlights how the growth of work on digital platforms has favoured the involvement of younger people in work activities that often fail to meet the age requirements under existing legislation.

An alarming figure concerns working conditions. About 34.5 per cent of teens who said that they had worked in the last year also said that they had suffered some form of abuse, overdue wages (17.4 per cent), non-payment (13.7 per cent), as well as verbal or sexual harassment (10.1 per cent).

Only 17.9 per cent of those who experienced such treatments have filed a complaint or reported the incidents to the authorities.

Currently, South Korean labour law prohibits the employment of children under the age of 15, in line with International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards, which establish a work ban for children subject to compulsory schooling.

However, the report recommends a revision of the legislation to raise the minimum age of access to work from 15 to 16 years, to better protect adolescents and guarantee them a safer and more regulated working environment.

• south korea
• child labour
• labour standards
• abuse
• exploitation