It seems that the issue of what is often described as ‘North Korean forced labor’ is likely to be at the center of media attention in months or years to come. The reasons are clear: in their attempts to impose the toughest sanctions imaginable, U.S. diplomats are working hard to close down labor exports which, indeed, might be a significant source of hard currency earnings for Pyongyang.

Giving the current situation, it is difficult to blame the U.S. for attempting to reduce the financial resources available to North Korea. However, in the peculiar case of labor exports, these acts of economic pressure are often presented as if they are driven not by cold strategic calculations but by humanitarian concerns: worries about the fate of the suffering North Korean workers forced to sell their labor overseas.