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Choi Eung-sik, head of the labor union representing South Korean employees of US Forces Korea, calls for improvements in the South Korea-US defense cost-sharing negotiations in front of the Blue House on Mar. 25. (Yonhap News)

Four thousand South Koreans employed by US Forces Korea (USFK) are on the verge of being put on unpaid leave, on Apr. 1, as the US attempts to use them as leverage in its defense cost-sharing talks with South Korea.

On Mar. 25, 4,000 of the 8,500 South Koreans working for USFK received notice that they would be furloughed on Apr. 1 and remain on leave until given further notice. If the US follows through on this threat, it would be the first such furlough in American forces’ 60-year tenure in the country.

This disaster was forewarned when the Trump administration made the unreasonable demand for South Korea to increase its cost-sharing contribution to US$5 billion, five times the amount that South Korea paid last year. Negotiators from the two sides were supposed to strike a deal last year, but they still haven’t managed to reconcile their differences.

During the most recent round of negotiations, on Mar. 17-19, the South Korean government suggested the two sides reach a partial agreement on personnel costs, with Seoul paying USFK employees’ wages at once to forestall a furlough. But the US officially rejected that proposal, probably out of concerns that a deal on workers’ wages would rob it of an important bargaining chip. The US has effectively taken its South Korean employees hostage as it tries to pressure Seoul into accepting a major increase in its financial contribution.

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has promised to do its best to prevent the furlough from taking effect and is continuing negotiations with the US through phone calls, emails, and embassy contacts. But with the announced date just four days ago, 4,000 workers are terrified at the prospect of unpaid leave with no end in sight.

“Unpaid leave is even scarier for us than the spread of COVID-19. I don’t think we’d feel so hopeless if we could at least receive a business suspension allowance,” said Son Ji-oh, secretary-general of the USFK Korean Employees Union. USFK’s South Korean employees aren’t adequately covered by the country’s labor laws, which normally ensure that workers are paid an allowance when companies suspend their operations.

Even though 88% of these workers’ wages are provided through the South Korean government’s financial contribution, the US is still their technical employer, according to the labor provisions of the US-South Korea Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). These workers pay into South Korea’s four social insurance programs, but they don’t receive effective protection from South Korea’s labor laws.

The problem is that the US has a lot of interpretative leeway, given a SOFA section stating that USFK is supposed to follow the regulations of South Korea’s labor laws “as long as they don’t contravene the US’ military needs.” Labor unions are limited in their ability to go on strike, and advocates complain that workers are frequently disciplined and even terminated without just cause.

The USFK Korean Employees Union has been organizing protests in front of the US embassy in Seoul, asking the US to stop using the South Korean employees as leverage for its demand for an unreasonable hike of South Korea’s defense cost-sharing contribution. The union has also asked the South Korean government to devise a solution regarding the 4,000 employees whose livelihoods are in immediate peril.

During a meeting of the National Security Council on Mar. 26, the Blue House agreed to come up with measures on behalf of the workers. But Seoul has reportedly decided that it can’t pay wages or unemployment benefits on behalf of USFK, these workers’ technical employer.

While USFK claimed to have selected which workers will be placed on furlough after considering which jobs are essential for life, safety, public health, and mission completion, the workers themselves have been baffled by the selection criteria; for example, some workers in a given office have been furloughed while others, doing the exact same job, have not. South Koreans perform a wide range of jobs on American bases, including administration, combat support, medical services, public health, public relations, interpretation, and utilities, including electricity, gas, and water.

The USFK Korean Employees Union hopes that this crisis will motivate the South Korean government to push for systemic improvements in its negotiations with the US. “We believe that the government will devise meaningful measures for the South Korean workers. On top of that, we’re asking them to rectify the unreasonable sections of SOFA to ensure that South Korean workers aren’t taken hostage in future defense cost-sharing negotiations and to ensure that USFK abides by domestic law,” Son Ji-oh said.

By Park Min-hee, staff reporter

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