Forced and inhumane labor is institutionalized in North Korea

Forced labour in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is institutionalised, dangerous and sustained through violence and recrimination, the UN Human Rights Office said on Tuesday.

In a report based on 183 interviews with victims and witnesses of forced labor who managed to escape from North Korea and now live abroad, the Office cited statements from one person who said, If a daily work quota was not met, workers were beaten and their food rations were cut off..

“These people are forced to work in intolerable conditions, often in dangerous sectors, without pay, freedom of choice, opportunity to leave, protection, medical care, time off, food or shelter,” said Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the Human Rights Office.

“They are subjected to constant surveillance, they are regularly beaten, while women are exposed to continuous risks of sexual violence,” she added.

UN report on North Korea identifies six types of forced labor, including work in detention centres, state-assigned jobs, military recruitment and the so-called “shock brigades”in which groups are forced to perform “hard manual labor,” often in construction and agriculture.

The most serious concerns arise in detention centres, where victims are systematically forced to work under threats of physical violence and in inhumane conditions.

The report suggests that the widespread use of forced labour in North Korean prisons may amount to slavery, a crime against humanity.

Under pressure

North Koreans are “controlled and exploited through an extensive, multi-layered system of forced labor” that serves the interests of the state rather than the people, the report said.

According to the authors of the document, military recruits are required to serve for ten years or more and are typically forced to work in agriculture or construction.

A former nurse at a military hospital who treated soldiers during their compulsory service described her work as “hard and dangerous, with no adequate health and safety measures.” She said many soldiers, weak and tired, became malnourished and contracted tuberculosis.

Those recruited into the “shock brigades” are often required to live on the premises for months or years with little or no pay. Women, often the main breadwinners for families, are particularly affected by these deployments.

The State always wins

UN human rights report denounces North Korea sending foreigners to Citizens selected to work and earn foreign currency for the State, keeping up to 90% of their income.

Once put to work, these North Koreans live “under constant surveillance and with their passports confiscated… in cramped quarters, with little free time and extremely limited opportunities to contact their families.”

The system of Institutionalized work begins at schoolthe report notes, with children forced to perform tasks such as cleaning river banks or planting trees. “From an early age, you have to be available to serve,” said one witness.

The UN Office urged the North Korean government to “abolish the use of forced labour and end all forms of slavery” and called on the international community to investigate and prosecute those suspected of committing international crimes.

He also asked the Security Council of the UN to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court (CPI).