China fails to send North Korean workers home despite United Nations sanctions, US official says

US estimates Pyongyang was earning more than US$500 million a year from nearly 100,000 workers abroad, of which about 50,000 were in China and 30,000 in Russia

Washington has blacklisted two entities it says are involved in Pyongyang’s labour export

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About 50,000 North Koreans are thought to have been working in China before the UN sanctions. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 2:36pm, 23 Jan 2020Updated: 2:35pm, 17 Feb 2020

China failed to send home North Korean workers by a December deadline in violation of United Nations sanctions, which is why Washington has blacklisted two entities involved in Pyongyang’s labour export, a senior US official said on Wednesday.

A 2017 UN Security Council resolution, which China backed, demanded that all countries repatriate all North Korean workers by December 22 to stop them earning foreign currency for North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The United States has estimated that Pyongyang was earning more than US$500 million a year from nearly 100,000 workers abroad, of which about 50,000 were in China and 30,000 in Russia.

“Many – most … have actually taken this to heart and moved them,” a senior state department official told reporters, referring to the repatriation requirement.

“But we know one particular country has the large majority of North Korean guest workers and has not taken action, hence the steps we had to take in terms of sanctions.”

When questioned, the official confirmed he was referring to China.