Despite UN and US sanctions making it illegal for foreign companies to use North Korean workers or import products tied to North Korean labour, China and big US companies like Walmart and McDonald’s pay little heed. Meanwhile, labourers face docked pay, prison-like conditions and the constant t.
Workers sent from the country to Chinese factories describe enduring beatings and sexual abuse, having their wages taken by the state, and being told that if they try to escape they will be “killed without a trace.” Ian Urbina reports.