South Korea plans its first in-depth investigation into modern-day forced labor in North Korea

June 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –

South Korea will soon launch its first in-depth investigation into forced labor in North Korea through a series of interviews with North Korean defectors who have arrived in the country over the past five years.

The investigation will be carried out by the Center for Human Rights Records in North Korea and the interviews will take place until the end of the year, according to the official South Korean news agency Yonhap.

The center, affiliated with the South Korean Ministry of Unification, will specifically examine the situation of forced labor in the neighboring country since the coming to power in 2011 of the current North Korean supreme leader, Kim Jong Un.

However, the results will not be disclosed to the public and will remain under official secrecy. The Government will analyze the conclusions to draft future policies on the situation of Human Rights in North Korea.

A United Nations expert report published in 2021 denounced the existence of forced labor in North Korea, especially in its prisons, as another crime against Human Rights in the country.