US names N. Korea worst human trafficking nation for 16th year

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Thursday designated North Korea as one of the worst human trafficking nations for the 16th consecutive year, citing its use of forced labor.

The State Department's annual "2018 Trafficking in Persons Report" put North Korea in the lowest Tier 3 of its classification of countries, together with China, Russia and Iran.

"The Government of (North Korea) does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so," the report said.

The North Korean government continued to use forced labor in prison camps and labor training centers, facilitated forced labor of students and exported forced labor to foreign companies, it said.

"It used proceeds from state-sponsored forced labor to fund government functions as well as other illicit activity," the report added. "It did not screen for or protect potential trafficking victims when they were forcibly repatriated from China or other countries."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks about the release of the Trafficking in Persons report at the State Department on June 28 in Washington, DC. The report, produced annually, notes improvements in efforts against human trafficking internationally. (AFP-Yonhap)

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the issue as he introduced the report.

"We see the tragic examples of forced labor in North Korea as well," he said at a launch ceremony. "Untold number of North Korean citizens are subjected to forced labor overseas by their own government, in many cases with the tacit approval of host governments."

The report comes as Washington and Pyongyang are negotiating the dismantlement of the regime's nuclear weapons program following a historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un earlier this month.

It noted that in the latest reporting period the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution banning other countries from issuing new work permits to North Korean workers and requiring the expulsion of current laborers before the end of 2019.

Still, it said as many as 100,000 North Koreans currently earn money for their government in countries such as Russia, China and parts of Africa and Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, South Korea was placed among Tier 1 countries for the 16th straight year, along with other advanced nations like the US, Britain, France and Canada. (Yonhap)