By Yun Suh-young

Human rights violations occurred on a Korean fishing vessel, the Oyang, operating in waters near New Zealand, the government said Sunday.

They include physical assaults by Korean crewmen on a foreign sailor and wage payment delays by the shipping company to the crew.

Four Korean crewmen were found to have assaulted an Indonesian sailor on the vessel, the government’s joint investigation team consisting of officials from the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Sunday. The team carried out an investigation from May 27 to June 2.

The four will have criminal charges brought against them by the prosecution.

The transport ministry also plans to fine the shipping company that allegedly delayed payment to the crew. The firms violated the rights of sailors by not paying retirement pay to them and by not providing the 15-days paid vacation they are entitled to.

The ministry plans to conduct a further investigation into the case as there are conflicting claims by the sailors and the company. Whereas the sailors say they have not received the amount owed, the company says it has paid them. Criminal and administrative penalties will be imposed on the firm if it is found to have violated the law.

The team will look at how Korean ships hire crews and whether they pay them regularly. It will also meet with two of the Indonesian crewmen on the Oyang.

New Zealand brought up the human rights issue of foreign sailors on Korean boats in July after Indonesian sailors escaped after physical assaults by Korean sailors. It recently announced a report on human rights violations of foreigners on Korean vessels.