Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000935/2025/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
César Luena (S&D)
The North Korean regime exports labour, often forced and unpaid, from a large part of its population to prop up the country’s economy and generate income that supposedly helps finance its nuclear programme. A key destination for this labour is China.
The use of North Korean labour outside the country is prohibited by the United Nations Security Council. The European Union has a legal framework in place to prevent goods produced by North Koreans from entering its supply chains. However, recent investigations[1] have identified 12 Chinese-flagged tuna vessels using North Korean labour on board. Four of these vessels are authorised to export to the EU. The findings also show that North Korean crew have suffered serious abuse, with frequent transfers between vessels and stints at sea lasting for up to a decade.
What is the Commission doing to investigate, trace and monitor products from Chinese-flagged tuna vessels caught with North Korean labour and authorised for export to the European Union?
Submitted: 5.3.2025
- [1] Report: ‘Trapped At Sea’, published by the Environmental Justice Foundation, https://ejfoundation.org/reports/trapped-at-sea-exposing-north-korean-forced-labour-on-chinas-indian-ocean-tuna-fleet.