According to the Korean Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, the Koreans were held against their will in Tachileik, a mountainous area in the so-called Golden Triangle between Laos and Thailand.
Korea was again stamped as second-tier in the annual human trafficking report by the United States released Thursday, for its "inadequate" efforts to prevent trafficking and protect victims.
A senior U.S. diplomat is on a visit to Korea to discuss ways to prevent human trafficking, the state department said Thursday.
Korea has been downgraded to Tier 2 on an annual U.S. State Department report on people trafficking, citing concerns over the lack of "serious and sustained" efforts to protect victims and tackle related crimes.
Korea JoongAng Daily Sitemap