In brief
North Korean fishermen, forced to work on Chinese longliners in the Indian Ocean, face severe hardships as their hard-earned wages mostly benefit the country's authoritarian leadership. A recent study highlights the alarming extent of forced labor within this hidden industry, drawing attention to the plight of these workers who often remain cut off from their families for years.
In a recently published report by the Environmental Justice Foundation, disturbing realities come to light about North Korean fishermen working on Chinese tuna longliners in the Indian Ocean. Many of these workers endure grueling conditions at sea—some for close to a decade—without ever setting foot on land, a tactic employed by their Chinese captains to avoid scrutiny from port authorities.These North Koreans serve their government while generating revenue for Kim Jong-un's cash-strapped regime, as most of their earnings are sent back home. The UN has banned member states from hiring North Korean workers, citing concerns that the money is funneled into Kim's nuclear weapon program. Yet, the practice persists with thousands of North Koreans dispatched globally, from construction sites in the Middle East to logging camps and even battlefields in Ukraine.Until now, the plight of these fishermen drew little attention due to their isolated circumstances in the vast ocean. The report describes their labor conditions as "forced labor" that may surpass the mistreatment witnessed in the wider global fishing industry, notoriously known for its exploitation and abuse.The foundation's findings prompt a necessary investigation into the dark side of the fishing industry, emphasizing the urgent need to address human rights abuses within such environments.
