North Korea: UN Decision Should Open the Way for Diplomatic Solution
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.
ends