Seoul

A UN report released on Tuesday reveals that North Korea operates an extensive and multilayered system of forced labor to control and monitor its citizens for state interests. This report, published by the United Nations Human Rights Office, is based on 183 interviews conducted between 2015 and 2023 with victims and witnesses of forced labor exploitation, according to source. It highlights that forced labor in North Korea has become deeply institutionalized, leading to severe human rights violations.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) noted that this systemic forced labor primarily aims to generate foreign currency for the state, with most earnings going directly to the government, infringing on workers’ rights. The Seoul office of the OHCHR pointed out that the widespread use of forced labor in North Korea constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law and could, in some cases, be classified as a crime against humanity.

The report also emphasizes the widespread use of violence and cruel treatment employed by officials to discipline workers who do not meet their quotas. Testimonies include accounts of individuals who were not allowed to leave their work sites and a female worker who faced sexual abuse by a political officer. Forced labor affects nearly all segments of North Korean society, including military conscripts, state enterprise workers, and schoolchildren, encompassing labor in construction, farming, logging, and mining tasks that are often harsh and perilous.