Report by Environmental Justice Foundation has found evidence that at least 12 Chinese fishing vessels had employed North Korean crew between 2019 and 2024.
According to the news in The Guardian, Chinese fishing fleets are allegedly using North Korean forced labour, a potential breach of international sanctions, with workers allegedly kept at sea for up to a decade, according to a new report by the UK-based Environmental Justice Foundation.
There are strict international sanctions on United Nations member countries using North Korean labour. Adopted by the UN security council, the sanctions are designed to curtail Pyongyang’s program of exporting labour and goods to raise funds for its weapons programs.
Some North Korean crew were allegedly kept at sea for up to a decade, transferred from vessel to vessel and often temporarily transferred to other ships to avoid being detected at foreign ports, with their salary given to their government.
EJF identified the North Korean crew through photos, video, and interviews with 19 Indonesian and Filipino fishers who worked alongside them in the Indian Ocean.
The sanctions against North Korean labour prohibit UN and EU member states from issuing work permits to North Korean nationals and ban UN member states from acquiring seafood originating from North Korea or its nationals, and on UN member states nationals from procuring any. A UN security council resolution also required all UN member states to expel any North Korean workers by 2019. But the use of North Korean labour continues, and China is a key destination for North Korean workers sent abroad.
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