N. Korea making up to US$2.3 bil. each year from forced labor abroad： UN 다루스만

The United Nations has released a scathing report describing how the regime makes vast sums of money off the blood， sweat and tears of tens of thousands of North Koreans forced to work for a pittance overseas. Sohn Jung－in has more. The UN′s special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea， Marzuki Darusman， says more than 50－thousand North Korean workers are working as modern－day slaves abroad to prop up the country′s flagging economy with much－needed foreign currency. The workers are sent mainly to China and Russia， but also countries in Africa， the Middle East and South Asia to work in the construction， mining， logging and textile industries. Darusman described the appalling conditions the North Koreans have to work under. Not only are they underfed，... they are also forced to work up to 20 hours almost every day for 150 U.S. dollars a month or less. The North Korean regime is making up to two－point－three billion U.S. dollars a year from their confiscated salaries. It provides the elite in Pyongyang with foreign currency that they wouldn′t be able to get otherwise，... due to international sanctions that restrict North Korea′s financial activities. The report comes as the international community is pushing for a renewed UN resolution that calls for tougher sanctions against the regime. According to sources at the UN， Japan and the European Union submitted a joint resolution to the UN General Assembly′s Third Committee with the help of other interested parties， including South Korea and the U.S. The resolution is reported to be similar to one drafted last year，... which urged the Security Council to refer the North Korean leadership to the International Criminal Court to face justice for human rights abuses. Sohn Jung－in， Arirang News.