A new report details the experiences of North Korean workers in Russia, exposing widespread forced labor practices, including long hours, minimal pay, and harsh living conditions. The report highlights how the North Korean regime allegedly sustains itself by exporting its citizens as labor and extracting their wages, violating international sanctions and depriving workers of basic human rights.
The biting Russia n winter mornings begin before 6 a.m. for North Korea n laborers, according to testimonies, forcing them to walk in groups to construction sites, enduring grueling workdays that can extend up to midnight without breaks. The absence of a set end time and the relentless pressure to meet quotas, regardless of weather conditions or personal hardship, are central to their experiences.
One former worker, identified as RT, shared his harrowing account with Fox News Digital, recounting how the harsh conditions led to severely cracked hands and an inability to use tools. This account, as well as others detailed in a recent report by Global Rights Compliance, paints a grim picture of North Korean citizens forced into labor overseas, a practice that allegedly sustains the North Korean regime under international sanctions. The report highlights the exploitation of these workers, often by Russian companies who obscure their identities, violating UN Security Council resolutions requiring the repatriation of North Korean workers.\RT’s experience reflects a larger pattern of deception and financial manipulation. He, and others, were lured with promises of earning money to build a better life, only to discover that the vast majority of their earnings were confiscated. The wages are largely consumed by mandatory payments to the state, known as the gukga gyehoekbun, along with deductions for travel debt and living expenses. This leaves them with a negligible amount of the income, often creating crippling debt that carries over to subsequent months. The quota system serves as a constant burden, dictating every aspect of the laborers' lives, according to the testimonies. The threat of being sent home, which is far from a relief, comes with severe repercussions: blacklisting, interrogations, and sometimes even punishment for their families. The confiscation of passports and strict limitations on movement further isolate the workers, controlling every aspect of their lives.\The report uncovers the extensive use of forced labor practices, identifying all 11 International Labour Organization indicators in the testimonies. These include debt bondage, restriction of movement, withholding of wages, excessive overtime, physical violence, surveillance, deception, isolation, abuse of vulnerability, and abusive conditions. The workers endure overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions, with limited access to basic amenities like showers and minimal time off. These conditions are a direct violation of international law. The testimonies reveal that upon arrival in Russia, the laborers' passports are immediately confiscated by North Korean security officials. This loss of personal freedom further exacerbates their vulnerability and reinforces the state's control. Physical violence is also reported. The constant surveillance, the collective punishments and the threat of deportation create a climate of fear and control. As stated by a worker, the laborers are forced to “lead lives worse than cattle.” The North Korean labor program, according to Yeji Kim, a Global Rights Compliance advisor, is essential to sustaining the North Korean regime's economy, a practice that the UN needs to address with strict sanctions
North Korea Forced Labor Russia Human Rights Violations International Sanctions
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