North Korea uses a deeply institutionalized system of forced labor, which in some cases can constitute a crime against humanity in the form of enslavement, warns the UN in a new report.
The report describes six different types of forced labor, one of which is the country's military conscription, which lasts for at least 10 years. The system functions as a means for the state to control, monitor, and indoctrinate the population, according to the UN report.
"These people are forced to work under unacceptable conditions – often in hazardous sectors – without pay, freedom, opportunity to leave their jobs, healthcare, leave, food, and housing," says the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in a statement.
Many were subjected to regular abuse and women risked being subjected to sexual violence.
"If we didn't meet the daily quota, we were beaten and given less food," says a witness in the report.
North Korea also uses mandatory state jobs where residents are forced to perform grueling manual labor, often in the construction and agricultural sectors, according to the report. The jobs can last for months up to several years, and during that time, workers must live on site and receive little or no compensation.
The report is based, among other things, on over 180 interviews conducted between 2015 and 2023 with victims and witnesses who have fled North Korea.
