The U.S. State Department recently downgraded South Korea in its latest report on global efforts to combat human trafficking, marking the first time the ROK has seen a decline in its ranking since the inaugural report in 2002.

The 2022 Human Trafficking Report redesignates Seoul from a Tier 1 country that is “fully compliant” to a Tier 2 country that “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.”