Chinese fishing vessels used North Korean crews in breach of U.N. bans, report says
A fleet of Chinese fishing vessels used North Korean crews from 2019 to 2024 in violation of U.N. bans, and many people were apparently subjected to abuses including being trapped at sea for years, a report said.
SEOUL, South Korea — A fleet of Chinese fishing vessels used North Korean crews from 2019 to 2024 in violation of U.N. bans, and many people were apparently subjected to abuses including being trapped at sea for years, a report said Monday.
The Environmental Justice Foundation, a London-based group specializing in environmental and human rights issues, said it identified the presence of North Koreans on 12 Chinese tuna long-liners operating in the southwest Indian Ocean. The report was based mostly on interviews with 19 Indonesians and Filipinos who worked alongside them.
“The testimony received from Indonesian and Filipino crew members suggests that concerted efforts were made to hide the presence of North Koreans on these vessels, and that those North Koreans on board were forced to work for as many as 10 years at sea — in some instances without ever stepping foot on land,” the report said.
“This would constitute forced labor of a magnitude that surpasses much of that witnessed in a global fishing industry already replete with abuse,” it added.
The group said the North Koreans were passed from vessel to vessel to prevent them from returning to land. It cited unidentified Asian crew members as saying their North Korean shipmates were not allowed to use mobile phones or leave vessels during port visits.
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