What is the status of USFKs Korean work force?
Korean civilian employees contribute a wide range of skills essential to the USFK’s mission. Approximately 14,500 are classified direct hire employees who are paid by the United States Government. In recent years, the Korean Government has contributed to the costs for Korean civilian employees as part of their host country burden sharing. Additional direct hire Korean civilians work for USFK’s invited contractors. Finally, approximately 2,500 indirect hire Korean civilian employees make up the Korean Service Corps (KSC). The KSC is a paramilitary labor force, the origin of which dates to the Korean War when Korean laborers provided support services to US military forces. The SOFA contains provisions for maintaining effective labor relations between the USFK and the Korean civilian workforce. SOFA Article XVII provides a framework to resolve labor disputes that cannot be settled through the ordinary grievance or labor relations procedures in the USFK’s Labor-Management Agreement. All su
