Submit to:

• Member States of the United Nations

• Governments of South Korea, Japan, the United States, the European Union

• International Regulatory and Oversight Bodies

• Multinational Corporations and Business Leaders

Subject: We call upon the international community and global business leaders to take immediate, coordinated action to prevent corporate complicity in crimes against humanity committed by the DPRK. This includes instituting accountability systems for any company that sources, profits from, or indirectly supports supply chains linked to forced labor and state-sponsored abuse in North Korea.

Background: Extensive documentation from human rights bodies, including the UN COI on the DPRK and NGOs like NKHR, confirms that North Korea operates a widespread system of political prison camps and forced labor facilities. Products derived from these exploitative systems are often funneled into international markets through economic zones in China—notably Rason, Dandong, and Hunchun—where North Korean labor and joint ventures are concealed behind layers of intermediaries. Despite clear obligations under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the UN Global Compact, and international human rights law, many corporations fail to ensure that their sourcing practices do not contribute to or benefit from such egregious abuses. These failures amount to complicity in crimes against humanity.

We urge for:

1. The creation of a global corporate accountability framework: governments and international institutions must establish a binding global mechanism that:

   1. Identifies high-risk sectors and supply chains linked to DPRK forced labor

   2. Issues formal warnings to companies at risk of complicity

   3. Mandates corporate due diligence and risk assessments aligned with the UN Guiding Principles

2. Mandating public sourcing transparency: corporations must be required to:

   1. Disclose the origin of materials, types of labor involved, and geographic sourcing locations

   2. Sever ties with suppliers who fail to disclose or verify the legitimacy of their supply chains

3. Prohibiting all business with DPRK joint ventures and high-risk economic zones: no individual or corporation should be permitted to:

   1. Operate in or source from the Rason Economic Zone, or from Dandong and Hunchun trade hubs

   2. Engage in business with intermediaries known to facilitate DPRK forced labor

   3. Profit from goods exported through covert joint ventures with North Korean entities

4. Holding parent companies accountable: Parent companies must bear legal responsibility for the actions of their subsidiaries and contracted suppliers, particularly when these entities operate in jurisdictions known for human rights violations.

5. Enforcing import bans on products linked to forced labor: governments must:

   1. Implement and rigorously enforce bans on goods with links to DPRK forced labor

   2. Establish border controls and inspections capable of identifying tainted goods

   3. Coordinate international sanctions and legislation to block market access for such products

6. Strengthening state regulation of business activities: in accordance with international law, states must:

   1. Regulate corporate conduct beyond national borders when linked to human rights abuses

   2. Offer clear guidance on prohibiting support for North Korean joint ventures

   3. Align domestic law with international obligations to deter and punish complicity