The deputy director-general of the International Labor Organization (ILO), Kari Tapiola, arrived in Seoul Tuesday for a five-day visit.
Tapiola will meet with officials of the Labor, Justice and Government Administration and Home Affairs ministries.
Also scheduled are meetings with officials of the nation's two labor umbrella groups, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).
Tapiola will also visit jailed KCTU leader Dan Byoung-ho, who is charged with organizing illegal strikes and rallies.
The government invited the top ILO official to Korea in an attempt to highlight improvements made in the country's labor rights, including the legalization of the KCTU and the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers' Union as well as trade unions' political activities.