-Source-The Washington Free Beacon-
The Kim Jong Un regime in North Korea has ramped up the use of overseas slave labor to prop up its economy in the face of stiff sanctions, leading to what former North Korean construction official and defector Roh Hui-Chang said is "no different from a prison camp."
Prisons in North Korea are among the worst in human history, so many assume the lives of a overseas workers constitute an improvement, but they face impossible work requirements and seizure of almost all of their wages. At the National Press Club Friday, Roh explained the inner workings of the system Friday, recalling his experience working overseas and overseeing foreign construction projects.
The system to control workers is diabolically effective: No workers are able to hold onto their wages because the vast majority is confiscated for a "loyalty fund." They also receive demerits for failing to complete the impossible daily requirements, obliging them to do more work. No one can leave because their passports are seized, they have minders who keep watch over them, and they aren't ever by themselves. If one gets away, those who were with him are punished, creating a culture of mutual suspicion and control. Read more