By Femke Rijpkema and Joanna Hosaniak | Project Leaders
Dear Donor,
Did you know that modern slavery is not only hidden in global supply chains but also funds weapons programs?
Last month, NKHR released a new investigative report, “Financing Oppression and Weapons Program: Russia-North Korea Joint Venture Through Military and Security Forces,” exposing a system that has remained in the shadows for too long—a system where people are treated as tools to generate profit, not as human beings. The report uncovers a Russia-based network that uses modern forms of slavery to generate revenue for North Korea’s weapons development. What appears on paper as education and cooperation is, in reality, a highly coordinated system of exploitation managed at the highest level of the state.
North Koreans are sent to Russia under student visas, but their days are not spent in classrooms; they are spent on construction sites and factories doing intensive labor for 20 hours a day under constant supervision and often without pay. Some of these victims volunteered after being promised a better life with higher income, only to receive a mere 10% of their wages, while the rest is taken by the North Korean government. Thousands of others are military personnel deployed under orders, with their wages confiscated by military organs. They are not allowed to go outside, use mobile phones, or seek help. They do not eat well, nor do they have access to proper medical care. If they manage to escape, their families back in North Korea will face severe repression.
They cannot leave. They cannot decide. And the money they earn does not belong to them.
One of the most disturbing parts of this system is how easily it is hidden. Payments are labeled as “scholarships,” with millions of dollars moving through banks and institutions. On paper, it might look legitimate, but in reality, it is a way to disguise forced labor and funnel money into North Korea’s weapons programs.
Our research identified more than 100 North Korean-linked entities and over 76 Russian enterprises connected to the system of forced labor. Many of these companies have ties to global markets. Many of them are also directly managed by the institutions in charge of North Korea’s weapons programs. North Korea exports these weapons to be used in the war against Ukraine, causing continued suffering for thousands of bombarded civilians.
To bring these findings to light, NKHR officially launched the report at the press center in Brussels, engaging directly with policymakers, journalists, and civil society actors. In the days that followed, we held a series of meetings across Europe to present our findings, discuss policy responses, and push for concrete action to dismantle this system.
The response has been significant. Media outlets began covering the report right away, and interviews with international outlets are still ongoing. With each article and each conversation, more people are becoming aware of how human exploitation and human rights abuses are directly connected to global security threats. But awareness alone is not enough. This system persists because it is profitable, coordinated, and often overlooked. Governments, financial institutions, and companies must recognize the risks, investigate their connections, and take action to ensure they are not complicit. Moreover, they need to punish those who are benefiting.
That is why this work matters. And it is only possible because of you.
The report has been prepared thanks to your support, which enabled us to reach out to the victims of modern forms of slavery exploited by the North Korean state in Russia.
Your support allows us to investigate what others cannot, to speak about what others avoid, and to bring these realities to the people who have the power to act. It also allows us to help the victims in need of our assistance. It ensures that those affected are not forgotten and that their stories are not buried within systems designed to hide them. Behind these systems are real people. People whose lives are constantly monitored and tightly controlled. Whose labor is extorted by the state. Whose future is not their own. And who cannot speak freely themselves.
Thank you for standing with them!
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