In brief
"North Koreans endure grueling conditions working on Chinese tuna longliners in the Indian Ocean, with their salaries feeding into the state-run system that funds Kim Jong-un’s initiatives. This situation has gained little global attention until now due to its isolation in the vast ocean."
North Korea’s persistent economic struggles have driven thousands of its citizens into labor markets abroad, particularly on Chinese tuna longliners in the Indian Ocean. A new report from the London-based Environmental Justice Foundation uncovers the grim reality they face, highlighting how their earnings ultimately benefit Kim Jong-un's regime. These workers, many of whom spend nearly a decade at sea, toil under severe conditions, often without ever stepping foot on land.Due to strict regulations from the United Nations prohibiting North Korean labor agreements aimed at financing nuclear initiatives, North Korea defies the ban by deploying its citizens overseas to generate revenue. Estimates suggest that tens of thousands of North Koreans are embedded in jobs worldwide, ranging from construction in Russia to agricultural work in Eastern Europe. Complications arise for these fishermen as their isolation from both the public eye and family relations breaches basic human rights.The Environmental Justice Foundation's report underscored that these labor circumstances could be classified as forced labor, which is compounded by the general abuse seen across the global fishing industry. Many of these laborers’ wages end up funding a regime that prioritizes military and nuclear capabilities over the well-being of its citizens.
