Brussels, 12 September 2017 (ITUC
OnLine): The unanimous decision by the UN Security Council to impose further
economic restrictions on North Korea following its nuclear and missile tests
shows that a peaceful solution is not out of reach, with the major world powers
able to reach compromise on how to push the regime to abandon nuclear
weapons. The UN sanctions include restrictions on trade to and from the
regime, as well as a ban on new work permits for North Koreans working abroad.
“The North Korean regime presents an
imminent danger to world peace, and it is encouraging that the permanent
members of the Security Council have been able to reach agreement on a package
that should de-escalate tensions and open the way for a diplomatic solution
such as that proposed by the government of Germany. This must be backed
by real enforcement of the new measures, given that North Korea’s tiny ruling
elite has still been able to amass huge wealth under previous economic
sanctions,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.
China, which introduced new
restrictions on North Korean bank accounts in the lead-up to the UN decision,
remains the country’s largest trading partner, importing more than 80 per cent
of its exports.
“Of all the Security Council
members, China has the strongest influence on the regime of Kim Jong-un, and it
must bring that leverage to bear in full in order to avoid the possibility of a
nuclear catastrophe,” said Burrow.
For many years, an important source
of wealth for Kim’s family and the ruling military elite has been the income of
up to 100,000 North Koreans working abroad. Kept in conditions of
absolute slavery, working in construction, mining and other sectors, their
wages are taken by the regime and only a tiny proportion is left for them and
their families.
“News that North Korean workers
overseas have been building infrastructure for global sports events in Russia
and Qatar is only the tip of the iceberg. Many other countries, including
Malaysia and China, bear a heavy responsibility for the plight of these workers
within their own borders. It is an appalling indictment of the
international system that it is only now that the UN Security Council members
have decided to clamp down on North Korea’s slave trade,” said Burrow.
The ITUC represents 181 million
workers in 163 countries and territories and has 340 national affiliates.
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