‘Cash for Kim’: The Legality of Forced Labor in the EU

By Chloë Sherliker, HRNK intern

August 2016

The forced expatriation of North Korean labor forces to Russia and China has been happening since 1967.[1] In an attempt to generate much needed hard currency for the Kim regime, it is estimated that over 46,000 Koreans have been exported as labor forces to more than forty different countries.[2] North Koreans working in certain professions—loggers, miners, and seamstresses—have produced around 7-8% of North Korea’s total exports profits, while up to 90% of the workers’ salaries are repatriated to Pyongyang. It is estimated that this forced labor scheme earns North Korea $150 million to $230 million USD per year.[3]

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