A new investigation reveals that North Korean workers dispatched to Chinese fisheries were forced to surrender 80-90% of their wages to the state, receiving only 10-20% for living expenses. Seafood produced through what amounts to forced labor has been distributed not only to the United States, Canada, and Spain, but also to South Korea through approximately 30 domestic companies, with products sold in major supermarkets and fish markets.
Daily NK’s AND Center presented these findings in a “Report on Forced Labor of North Korean Workers at Chinese Fisheries” at a Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club (SFCC) briefing held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of July 17. Based on testimonies from North Korean workers dispatched overseas, the report highlighted the reality of North Korea’s foreign currency earning operations and loopholes in global supply chains that circumvent sanctions against North Korea.
According to the report, North Korean workers must pay substantial bribes to officials even before being dispatched, and women, in particular, must endure sexual humiliation in exchange for obtaining life evaluation certificates. This demonstrates that worker deployment is far from “voluntary contracts,” with the report defining it as “systematic exploitation” rather than legitimate contracting.
The report noted that human rights conditions deteriorate further after dispatched workers arrive in China. Their passports are immediately confiscated by supervisors, they face 24-hour surveillance in factory dormitories, and strict controls on movement make contact with the outside world virtually impossible.
Workers endure 12-14 hour workdays and routine verbal abuse, the report revealed. Those who attempt to escape face severe punishment if caught, or are forcibly repatriated and subsequently disappear without trace of their fate.
This complete deprivation of workers’ freedom to refuse labor constitutes the core requirements of forced labor as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The report emphasized that the most critical aspect is the sophisticated wage exploitation structure. Wages paid by Chinese fisheries are sent in bulk to accounts designated by North Korean authorities rather than individual worker accounts, with subsequent wage distribution entirely controlled by North Korean authorities.
Consequently, workers receive only 10-20% of their contracted wages as living expenses, while the remainder is confiscated by North Korean authorities. One North Korean official testified that “most of the profits are remitted to the (North Korean) Ministry of Fisheries,” according to the report.
This practice directly violates sanctions against North Korea. UN Security Council Resolution 2397 prohibited the overseas employment of North Korean nationals and mandated their complete repatriation by December 2019. However, North Korea continues to earn foreign currency through labor exports, with this money flowing into regime maintenance funds, effectively neutralizing international sanctions.
The severity is particularly acute given that seafood produced through forced labor by dispatched North Korean workers reaches dinner tables of consumers worldwide. Seafood produced with North Korean labor enters global supply chains labeled as Chinese products, creating a structural problem where many companies unknowingly become complicit in forced labor and human rights violations.
According to the report, approximately 4,360 tons of seafood were distributed to 36 South Korean companies through this method between 2021 and 2023. Major products included pollock, salmon, and clams, sold in major supermarkets and fish markets nationwide.
Beyond South Korea, products involving dispatched North Korean workers have been distributed to the United States, Canada, Spain, and other countries, exposing the entire global supply chain to North Korea’s forced labor and human rights violations.
The report emphasized that North Korean authorities bear primary and direct responsibility as the architects of the system that directly plans labor exports and exploits wages. It criticized North Korea for treating workers merely as foreign currency earning tools while completely ignoring obligations to protect human rights.
The report also highlighted the significant responsibility of the Chinese government for enabling this system to continue. China effectively condones clear human rights violations occurring within its territory and ignores its “protection and supervision responsibilities” as a signatory to International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions.
Additionally, the report noted that companies and distributors importing fishery products cannot escape responsibility for failing to conduct substantive human rights due diligence on their supply chains.
Hwang Hyun-wook, lead researcher at AND Center, stated: “The forced labor issue of North Korean overseas dispatched workers continues today while international law and resolutions are ignored, and extends beyond human rights issues of specific countries to directly impact our daily lives. To break the chain of forced labor, urgent tasks include effective implementation of international sanctions, mandatory corporate supply chain human rights due diligence, and ethical consumption movements by civil society.”
