North Korea Sends Citizens Abroad for 'Slave Labor'

A human rights organization announced on Wednesday that North Korea has sent hundreds of its citizens abroad for slave labor in European Union countries. This government-led program is part of the country's efforts to circumvent international sanctions against North Korea's nuclear activities and deprive it of financial resources. According to Reuters, an organization called the European Alliance for North Korean Human Rights states that North Korean workers work between 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week, but 90% of their income goes to the government. Most of them are employed in shipbuilding, farming, and construction industries in Poland. Others work in recreational and tourism services and garment factories in Malta, and have also been employed in countries like Germany, Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands. The North Korean embassy in Warsaw denied that these workers are deprived of their wages. An unnamed official from the embassy stated, 'This claim is ridiculous. No one takes their income; they work and earn money for themselves.' The situation of North Korean workers in Poland was reported in a joint study by the Leiden Asia Center (Asian Studies Department of Leiden University) in the Netherlands and the European Alliance for North Korean Human Rights. The report states that the North Korean regime uses these workers abroad to secure foreign currency, which it desperately needs due to intensified international sanctions following nuclear and missile tests a few months ago. A UN report last year estimated that over 50,000 North Korean citizens work abroad, generating an annual income between $1.2 billion to $2.3 billion. However, some experts dispute these figures. Most of them work in China and Russia, while others are employed in African countries or in construction projects in Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar, which is undergoing extensive construction for the 2022 World Cup. Miguel Glending, director of the European Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, stated that the high wage rates in EU countries make them more attractive. The Leiden Asia Center report is based on testimonies from North Korean workers in various countries, field research in Poland, and official government information and other sources. One specific case mentioned in the report is the death of a North Korean worker due to severe burns in Polish shipyards. Investigations revealed that the employer provided this welder with unsafe work clothing and uncovered other safety deficiencies. According to the report, this worker worked 70 hours a week without receiving appropriate wages. The report adds that North Korean workers do not have employment contracts or pay slips, their passports are held by officials, they are not allowed free movement, and they are forced to participate seriously in ideological classes organized for them. Michael Glending states, 'It is as if the conditions of Pyongyang have been exported to Europe. By doing this, the North Korean government has exported human rights violations to the territory of EU countries, and the members of this union either accept or tolerate it.' According to the report, Poland alone issued about 2,800 work permits for North Korean workers between 2008 and 2015, and 32 Polish companies have employed these workers. Michael Glending adds, 'The North Korean government sends individuals who have wives and children abroad, which in practice is like taking their family members hostage. If they seek asylum in the host countries, their families will be punished in various ways, such as being sent to forced labor camps or even executed.' He noted that so far, one case of asylum application by these workers has occurred in Poland, and possibly several cases in other countries.