TAIPEI, Taiwan – Chinese fishing vessels used North Korean forced labor, keeping workers at sea for up to a decade, a U.K.-based non-governmental organization said, potentially in breach of U.N. sanctions.
United Nations member states are subject to strict sanctions prohibiting the use of North Korean labor. Enforced by the U.N. Security Council, these measures are intended to curb Pyongyang’s practice of exporting labor and goods to finance its weapons programs.
But the Environmental Justice Foundation, or EJF, said in its report on Monday that at least 12 Chinese deep-water fishing vessels employed North Korean crew between 2019 and 2024 in the Indian Ocean.
The group cited Indonesian and Philippine workers who had worked on Chinese fishing boats as saying some North Korean crew were kept at sea for up to a decade, transferred from vessel to vessel and often temporarily transferred to other ships to avoid being detected at foreign ports, with their salary given to their government.
“This indicates that vessel captains, and likely vessel owners, were aware that the use of this labour was prohibited,” said the rights group.
Mauritian authorities in 2022 reportedly detained six North Korean workers when a Chinese fishing vessel docked at Port Louis, the group said.
Under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2397 adopted in 2017, member states were required to repatriate all North Koreans earning income within their jurisdiction by December 2019.
Another crew member testified to having worked with North Koreans who “had never stepped foot on land for eight years.”
“Concerted efforts were made to hide the presence of North Koreans on these vessels, and that those North Koreans on board were forced to work for as many as 10 years at sea, in some instances without ever stepping foot on land,” the group said, citing testimony from other crewmen.
The North Koreans described in the EJF report were likely sent to work on the boats by their government, which is one of several forms of forced labour which the U.N. office of the human rights high commissioner says has become “deeply institutionalized” in the closed-off authoritarian country.
The group also said that North Korean workers were not allowed to contact their families.
“They never communicated with their wives or others while at sea as they were not allowed to bring a mobile phone,” one interviewee told EJF.
Lin Jian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said on Thursday that he was “not familiar with” the report.
“Let me say more broadly that China all along carries out offshore fishing in accordance with laws and regulations. China’s relevant cooperation with the DPRK is conducted within the framework of international law,” Lin told a regular briefing. He did not elaborate.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK, is North Korea’s official name.
China operates the world’s largest deep-sea fishing fleet, with thousands of vessels operating in international waters and along the coasts of other nations.
The fleet has faced widespread criticism for exploitative practices, including the use of forced labor, human trafficking, and inhumane working conditions.
Reports from international media and human rights organizations have documented cases of crew members, often from developing countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines, being subjected to long working hours, withheld wages, physical abuse, and even fatalities due to harsh conditions at sea.
The fleet has also been accused of engaging in illegal fishing practices, depleting marine resources, and violating the sovereignty of other nations' waters. Despite mounting scrutiny, regulatory oversight remains weak, and many abuses go unchecked.
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Despite international sanctions prohibiting their employment, China remains one of the primary destinations for North Korean workers
Tens of thousands are reportedly employed in Chinese factories, seafood processing plants, and textile industries, often under exploitative conditions.
These workers, whose wages are largely funneled back to the North Korean regime, are subjected to strict surveillance, poor living conditions, and limited freedom of movement.
Human rights organizations have raised concerns over forced labor, excessive working hours, and wage confiscation, highlighting violations of U.N. sanctions.
Edited by Mike Firn.