In brief
A recent study highlights the exploitation of North Korean workers on Chinese tuna longliners in the Indian Ocean, shedding light on forced labor that funds Kim Jong-un’s regime amidst ongoing sanctions.
North Korean fishermen are reportedly enduring grueling conditions on Chinese tuna longliners in the Indian Ocean, a situation that has emerged as a new revenue stream for the regime of Kim Jong-un. A recent report by the London-based Environmental Justice Foundation has brought to light the plight of these workers, many of whom spend nearly a decade at sea without ever stepping ashore.According to the findings, the fishermen are isolated by their Chinese captains, who aim to prevent them from being detected by port authorities. The majority of their earnings are redirected to the North Korean government, contributing to a funding mechanism that supports its controversial nuclear weapons program.The United Nations has prohibited member states from hiring North Korean workers, a measure intended to disrupt the regime’s financial support for its military endeavors. However, Kim Jong-un has continued to send tens of thousands of North Koreans abroad for work, ranging from jobs in factories and restaurants to construction sites and logging camps across various countries.Their circumstances have often been overlooked due to their remote locations at sea, where they remain cut off from communication with the outside world and their families. The report indicates that the working conditions for these fishermen could be classified as forced labor, highlighting a problematic trend within the larger global fishing industry, which is notorious for various forms of labor abuse.The shocking details of this exploitation emphasize the urgent need for international attention towards the welfare of North Korean workers and an effective approach to addressing labor violations in the fishing sector, which are far-reaching and deeply entrenched.
