North Korea. One of the most seclusive —yet one of the most controversial— countries in the world. Controlled by dictators from the Kim family since the end of the Korean War in 1953, the country is led today by Kim Jong-un with ruthless expectations. Notorious for its labor camps, draconian punishments, public executions, and a myriad of other human rights violations, the international community has called for increased sanctions and restrictive trade in efforts to curtail these crimes and stifle the regime. However, North Korea has easily bypassed this by deploying a tactic of their own: sending forced laborers abroad to harvest cold currency for the dictatorship. Furthermore, in the past five years, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s …show more content…
North Korea’s practice of forced labor abroad is a perfect example of this. According to experts from at the Asian Institute for Policy Studies and the United Nations (U.N.), North Korean laborers abroad are fed a starvation diet and face “threats, abuse, and constant surveillance” and are “forced to work sometimes up to 20 hours a day, [with] only one or two rest days per month” (qtd. in Gambrell and Kim). Furthermore, a first-hand account from a North Korean worker in Russia reports that the winters are cold and the summers are filled with mosquitoes, so “[there] isn’t anything to like [about the work environment]” (qtd. in “North Korean Labor Camps”). The endless hours, starvation, and abuse constitutes a poor work environment— one not much different from their impoverished homeland. Moreover, most of their earnings are taken by the state. The Workers' Party of Korea seizes anywhere between 30% and 80% of the wages paid to laborers working in fields such as forestry and construction, and further money is deducted to cover mandatory contributions to a "loyalty fund,” living expenses, and other "donations" (qtd. in Higgins). The combination of inadequate facilities and poor pay resemble none other than modern-day slavery. In addition, free speech is severely limited despite being in a different country. The U.S. State Department reports that if these …show more content…
has tried to suppress North Korea by various means, but this only increases the severity of the problem and has been ineffective overall. At the United Nations Security Council meeting in December 2017, China’s deputy ambassador, Wu Haitao, expressed the need for dialogue by “asserting that there was ‘no military option for settling the nuclear issue’ on the Korean Peninsula” (qtd. in Gladstone and Sanger). Though not saying much, Haitao is hinting at all the underlying complexities of the issue—of these including Kim’s unpredictable actions. According to Thae Yong-ho, one of the highest-ranking officials to defect from North Korea, Kim “will press the button on these dangerous [nuclear] weapons when he thinks that his rule and his dynasty is threatened” (qtd. in BBC News). Having numerous arsenals at his disposal, the logic from Kim’s perspective is that it would be a “waste” if he didn’t use them given the chance. Thus, further threats to provoke the North Korean leader will be much more detrimental than effective. Unheeding this warning, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on January 2018 that while Kim can brag that he has a nuclear button “on his desk,” Trump too has a nuclear button, “but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than [Kim’s], and [his] Button works!” (Trump). Aside from Trump’s Twitter threats, the United States has also made official threats of retaliation that would provide “further punishment and isolation” if North Korea