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[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]
NORTH KOREA (Tier 3) – Extracted in
part from the U.S. State Dept
2023 TIP Report
The Government
of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) does not fully
meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and, even
considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its
anti-trafficking capacity, is not making significant efforts to do so;
therefore the DPRK remained on Tier 3. The government did not demonstrate any efforts to address
human trafficking. During the reporting
period, there was a government policy or pattern of human trafficking in
prison camps as part of an established system of political repression, as
well as in labor training centers, in the mass mobilizations of adults and
children, and in the imposition of forced labor conditions on DPRK overseas
workers. The government used proceeds from state-sponsored forced
labor to fund government operations.
Prioritized Recommendations
End
the use of state-sponsored forced labor, including among DPRK workers
abroad, in prison camps, and through mass mobilizations of adults and
children.
End
the use of forced labor as punishment for DPRK citizens involuntarily
repatriated from other countries.
Eliminate
coercion tactics used to monitor and limit the movements and communications
of workers overseas.
Cease
the garnishing of wages of overseas workers for the purposes of subsidizing
the state budget.
Provide
assistance to victims exploited in the DPRK and to victims returned from
abroad.
Criminalize
sex trafficking and labor trafficking.
Investigate
and prosecute trafficking cases and convict traffickers in accordance with
the rule of law.
Increase
transparency by allowing international human rights monitors to evaluate
living and working conditions of workers, both domestically and abroad.
Forge
partnerships with international organizations and NGOs to combat human
trafficking.
Allow
all North Koreans to choose their form of work and leave their employment
at will.
Accede
to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.
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