Chinese fishing fleets are reportedly utilizing forced labor from North Korea, potentially violating international sanctions, with workers allegedly remaining at sea for as long as a decade, according to a recent report by the UK-based Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). The report, released on Monday, has identified at least 12 Chinese deep-sea fishing vessels that employed North Korean crew members between 2019 and 2024.
International sanctions prohibit United Nations member states from using North Korean labor. These sanctions, adopted by the UN Security Council, aim to limit Pyongyang’s ability to export labor and goods to fund its weapons programs. Reports indicate that some North Korean crew members were kept at sea for extended periods, frequently transferred between vessels and temporarily moved to other ships to evade detection in foreign ports, with their earnings reportedly sent to their government.
The EJF identified the North Korean crew through photographs, videos, and interviews with 19 Indonesian and Filipino fishermen who worked alongside them in the Indian Ocean. The North Koreans mentioned in the report were likely sent to work on these vessels by their government, which is known for exporting its citizens as laborers. This practice is one of several forms of forced labor that the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights describes as having become “deeply institutionalized” in the repressive regime.
One Indonesian fisherman recounted, “Some of the North Korean crew told me that they work on Chinese fishing vessels to escape from military conscription. There are only two choices: support the government by working in plantations or government enterprises, or work abroad on Chinese fishing vessels.” Another fisherman shared that a North Korean friend revealed, “In seven years working on fishing vessels, they and their family were never given the money. The government takes the money, and once they return, the government builds them a house as compensation. They were not happy about the arrangement, but they don’t have any option.”
The fishermen also described multiple at-sea transfers of North Korean crew members and alleged efforts to conceal them from authorities by temporarily relocating them to other vessels before entering port. EJF stated, “This indicates that vessel captains, and likely vessel owners, were aware that the use of this labor was prohibited.” In 2022, six North Koreans and a Chinese boat captain were arrested in Mauritius for allegedly failing to report the North Koreans’ entry into the country.
The sanctions against North Korean labor prohibit UN and EU member states from issuing work permits to North Korean nationals and ban the acquisition of seafood originating from North Korea or its nationals. Additionally, a UN Security Council resolution mandated that all UN member states expel any North Korean workers by 2019.
