By Yang Geun-hyuk, The Herald Business
Kim & Chang announced Monday that it will hold a seminar Friday on the latest developments in US and EU forced labor regulations and strategies for managing supplier supply chains.
Forced labor-related supply chain regulations have been gaining momentum globally, particularly in the United States and the European Union, with their scope and enforcement intensity continuing to expand. As a result, Korean companies operating in global markets face growing pressure to proactively assess human rights risks across their supply chains and build systematic responses.
Sponsored by the Korea Federation of Enterprises, the seminar will examine the latest regulatory trends in US and EU forced labor rules, along with the legal and practical issues they raise. It will also discuss how companies can incorporate global regulations into their internal management systems and supply chain processes, including how to establish supply chain management and human rights due diligence frameworks.
The seminar will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the Crescendo Building, third floor, in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Attorneys and specialists from Kim & Chang's Sustainability Group will serve as presenters and panelists.
The first session will be led by foreign attorney Bae Hyo-jin, who will speak on understanding the changing supply chain regulatory landscape for forced labor and human rights in the US and EU. The presentation will cover key provisions and enforcement trends under the US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the Tariff Act, Section 301 of the Trade Act and the EU Forced Labor Regulation, and will examine their implications for corporate supply chain management. The session will also explore the relationship between the EU Forced Labor Regulation and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.
The second session will be led by attorney Moon Su-min, who will address practical issues arising in a changing regulatory environment. The presentation will cover how to build governance structures for forced labor compliance and secure human rights due diligence and traceability across supply chains, as well as practical challenges including potential conflicts with domestic legal requirements.
The third session will be led by Hwang Jeong-hwan, head of the Sustainability Social and Disclosure Center, who will present an implementation guide for systematic and legally sound supply chain management. The session will lay out a step-by-step roadmap for how companies should transform their processes, data systems and governance structures to meet increasingly stringent supply chain regulations.
A panel discussion will follow, with attorneys and specialists drawing on extensive experience in the field to examine a range of issues that can arise in supply chain management.
yg@heraldcorp.com
