On July 1, the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR) hosted the Global Supply Chain Due Diligence Forum: Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in High-Risk Supply Chains at the Koreana Hotel in Seoul. The Forum examined how forced labor, human rights abuses, sanctions evasion, and opaque intermediary structures in high-risk supply chains involving North Korea, China, and Russia are connected to international trade and finance, global security, and corporate responsibility. Approximately 100 stakeholders from diverse sectors attended the event, including diplomatic missions, international organizations, government and public agencies, civil society and human rights organizations, media, academia and research institutes, the legal community, and business associations.

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NKHR and Data Desk presented evidence on the expansion of maritime trade in North Korean coal and minerals, as well as increased shipping activity at major North Korean ports, highlighting key findings from its co-published new report. International experts also shared insights on intermediary and financial networks linked to the supply of Russian petroleum products to North Korea; South Korea’s continued imports of Russian fossil fuels, particularly coal, and the related risks for energy security, sanctions compliance, and payment and banking restrictions; and global supply chain cases linked to labor rights abuses in Chinese manufacturing and Uyghur forced labor. This was followed by policy discussions on how to respond to high-risk supply chain risks and strengthen accountability through frameworks and mechanisms such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, OECD National Contact Points (NCPs), supply chain responsibility legislation, the International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC), and targeted human rights sanctions.

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In commemoration of its 30th anniversary, NKHR officially announced the launch of a new initiative, the Ethical Trade & Transparency Hub. Grounded in NKHR’s 30 years of investigations, documentation, and advocacy, the Hub will serve as an evidence-based platform for governments, businesses, lawmakers, and civil society to better understand and address risks embedded in high-risk supply chains. It will analyze how forced labor and state-linked human rights abuses intersect with sanctions evasion, opaque trade and financial structures, transnational illicit financing, armed conflict, and war crimes, while supporting efforts to strengthen transparency, due diligence, visibility, and accountability. Moving forward, NKHR will continue to foster stakeholder cooperation and policy dialogue to advance responsible supply chain practices and victim-centered justice and accountability.