Taepyeong Salt Farm Submits Petition to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to Withdraw Detention Order

Taepyung Salt Farm recently submitted a petition to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requesting the withdrawal of a Withholding Release Order (WRO). The U.S. CBP acknowledged forced labor in Taepyung Salt Farm's salt production process and issued a WRO on April 3rd. Taepyung Salt Farm stated that no forced labor existed in their products and they would clarify the substantive truth through an audit by a credible third party. According to Taepyung Salt Farm, the perpetrator of the 2021 salt farm worker forced labor incident was immediately expelled in October 2021, ensuring no salt was produced through forced labor. They informed CBP that if a WRO were to be issued based on the 2021 incident, it should be directed at the perpetrator's family, not Taepyung Salt Farm. Additionally, they explained that as a salt farm lease business not employing workers directly, they lack legal authority and obligation to manage and supervise workers hired by lessees, but are making ...