Trapped in the net: North Korean workers in Chinese seafood factories

Daily NK has released a comprehensive report examining how North Korean workers dispatched to Chinese seafood processing factories are subjected to systematic forced labor, wage exploitation, sexual abuse, and round-the-clock surveillance.

The report, titled “Exploitation, Control, and Accountability Inside Chinese Seafood Packaging,” is based on in-depth interviews with 30 workers and managers, including currently stationed workers, returnees, and both North Korean and Chinese factory supervisors. The findings reveal that workers receive only 10 to 20 percent of their contracted wages, with the majority withheld under labels such as “state plans” and “loyalty funds” and remitted directly to North Korean authorities. Passports are confiscated upon arrival, movement outside the factory and dormitory is prohibited, and workers operate under 24-hour surveillance in conditions the report describes as resembling physical detention.

Of particular concern is the pervasive sexual exploitation documented in the report. Female workers face coercion from supervisors with near-total impunity, and testimonies indicate that some were mobilized for prostitution during the COVID-19 period in order to meet state-imposed foreign currency quotas. Workers who refused sexual advances faced wage cuts, assignment to the most physically grueling tasks, or forced repatriation.

The report also highlights the global dimensions of the issue. Seafood products processed under these conditions are exported to at least 15 countries — including the United States, South Korea, and major European nations — under the label “Made in China,” making it difficult for consumers and importers to identify the human rights violations embedded in their supply chains. This constitutes a violation of UN Security Council sanctions, which have prohibited the overseas deployment of North Korean labor since 2017.

The report calls on the international community to strengthen sanctions enforcement, mandate supply chain transparency, and press the Chinese government to fulfill its oversight obligations under ILO Convention No. 29, which it has ratified.

Daily NK will continue its mission to expose North Korea’s human rights situation to the international community through sustained investigation and analysis. The complete findings can be accessed in the full report.

Read the full report in English here.