One out of 10 North Koreans live as ‘modern slaves’, forced to work by the Kim regime, according to watchdog estimates
The Global Slavery Index found that outside North Korea, the countries with the worst prevalence of slavery were Eritrea, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Mauritania, South Sudan, Pakistan, Cambodia and Iran
North Korea has the highest prevalence of modern slavery in the world, with one out of every 10 citizens victims under the practice, according to estimates included in a new report.
More than 2.6 million people live under modern slavery in the country, the 2018 Global Slavery Index found, with the vast majority forced to work by the state. The report also argued that the North Korean government had the weakest response to slavery out of all the countries surveyed, as the North Korean state itself is involved in forced labour both inside and outside the country.
The report defines modern slavery as slavery itself, as well as human trafficking, forced labour, debt bondage, forced or servile marriage, and the sale and exploitation of children.
The findings come amid ongoing negotiations between North Korea and the United States, as well as concurrent inter-Korean talks with South Korea. These talks have focused on denuclearisation and military issues rather than human rights issues such as slavery.
“There’s a strong focus on bombs and missiles, but the North Korean tragedy is much more about lost freedom through the brutal suppression of human potential,” said Andrew Forrest, founder of the Walk Free Foundation.