Overview
- The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) report documents forced labor of North Koreans on 12 Chinese tuna longliners between 2019 and 2024.
- Workers were reportedly trapped at sea for up to 10 years, denied communication with family, and subjected to harsh conditions and abuse.
- The use of North Korean labor violates a 2017 UN Security Council resolution prohibiting member states from employing North Korean workers to curb funding for Pyongyang's weapons programs.
- The report alleges that fish caught by this illegal labor force may have entered global seafood markets, including the EU, UK, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
- China and Russia are accused of circumventing UN sanctions, with Beijing denying specific knowledge of the case but reiterating adherence to international law.