The European Union(EU) has called for the launch of a dispute-settlement procedure with South Korea, accusing Seoul of refusing to endorse key treaties regarding laborers’ rights. 

Seoul’s Ministry of Employment and Labor said on Monday that the European Commission made the request in a letter. 

The EU is taking issue with South Korea's delayed efforts to ratify some International Labor Organization(ILO) conventions, concerning freedom of association and abolition of forced labor, for seven years since the bilateral free trade agreement took effect in 2011. 

The move comes as the South Korean government is having discussions to ratify the conventions and appears to be aimed to put pressure on Seoul to speed up the efforts. 

The dispute settlement will begin with government-to-government discussions, including reviews and meetings. If they fail to reach an agreement, the negotiations will be made at a committee level and then by experts’ panels.