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.”

According to the report, the State Department downgraded South Korea on the grounds that its efforts against human trafficking