United Nations report condemns North Korea’s ‘extensive, multilayered’ system of forced labour

Seoul: North Korea has maintained an “extensive and multilayered” system of forced labour in a bid to use it as a means of controlling and monitoring its people for the interest of the state, a UN report showed Tuesday.

The United Nations Human Rights Office released a new report on North Korea’s use of forced labour, which was written based on 183 interviews conducted between 2015 and 2023 with victims and witnesses of such labour exploitation, Yonhap news agency reported. The report said North Korea’s use of forced labour has become “deeply institutionalised” and serious human rights violations have been committed in the process.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) stated that “systemic” forced labour is used mainly to generate foreign currency for the state, with most of the money earned by workers going to the government, violating workers’ rights.

In the latest report, the Seoul office of the OHCHR examined the widespread use of forced labour in North Korea, which constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law and, in some instances, may be considered a crime against humanity under international criminal law.

Notably, the report highlighted “the widespread use of violence and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” by officials to discipline workers who fail to meet work quotas.

The report cited various testimonies from victims of the regime’s forced labour system. These include individuals forbidden to leave their worksites and a female worker who was sexually abused by a political guidance officer.

Forced labour impacts nearly everyone’s lives in North Korea, including military conscripts, workers in state enterprises and even school children. It involves construction, farming, logging and mining, which are often hard, arduous and dangerous. The report stated that forced labour not only provides a source of free labour for the state but also acts as a means for the state to control, monitor and indoctrinate the population.

The agency urged Pyongyang to end these slavery-like practices and ensure effective prevention, including clear definitions in national laws, especially policies that are discriminatory toward women. The report further urged the government to replace the system of labour employment based on coercion, including the threat of detention.

To the international community, the agency recommended ensuring strict due diligence in any economic engagement with North Korea and close surveillance of supply chains originating directly and indirectly from the country. (IANS)

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