Japan urges the world to deny North Koreans jobs so Pyongyang’s nuke cash is cut
The Japanese government has been stepping up efforts with the United States and South Korea to urge countries that have been accepting workers from North Korea to no longer do so in a bid to cut off financing for Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile development plans, sources close to the matter said Saturday.
Defying UN Security Council resolutions and warnings from the international community, North Korea has conducted four nuclear tests, most recently in January, as well as rocket launches.
At a time when Japan along with the United States and South Korea remain on alert for a possible fifth nuclear test by the North, the three countries have been trying since spring to root out one of the sources of North Korea’s finances – foreign currency earned by North Korean workers abroad, the sources said.
The estimated number of North Koreans working abroad is now between 50,000 to 60,000 and the annual amount of remittance is US$500 million. Pyongyang systematically sends people abroad to work as an important source of foreign exchange.
For North Koreans, their major destinations for work are Russia and China, part of the council’s five veto-wielding permanent members along with Britain, France and the United States.
Including Russia and China, around 20 countries from Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa also accept North Koreans, the sources said, adding the number has been expanding since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un came to power after the death of his father and long-time ruler Kim Jong-il in December 2011.
Should North Korea carry out another nuclear test, Japan, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, is poised to push for drafting a new Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on foreign income earned by North Koreans working outside their country, the sources said.
Tokyo, Washington and Seoul believe money earned overseas is being used by North Korea to develop ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, but attempts to subject foreign income earned by North Korean migrant workers to the council’s sanctions resolution following the nuclear test in January failed due to opposition, the sources said.
Japan then decided to take steps to target Pyongyang’s remittance flow, while Washington introduced in March its own sanctions to regulate the flow of remittances to North Korea. Japan, the United States and South Korea reaffirmed their cooperation on the matter in a high-level meeting in mid July in Hawaii.
Japan and its partner countries also aim to step up pressure on Russia and China, a key ally of North Korea, since the impact of cutting off financing for North Korea will not be as effective without the help of Moscow and Beijing, the sources said.
They will also play up the issue from a humanitarian viewpoint since North Korean officials are believed to be exploiting North Koreans working abroad, according to the sources.
UN special rapporteur on the North Korean human rights situation Marzuki Darusman said in October that North Korea has more than 50,000 nationals abroad engaged in what amounts to forced labour to earn foreign currency.
