North Korea operates an extensive, state-organized system of slavery inside its detention facilities, run by the Ministry of State Security (MSS) and the Ministry of People’s Safety (MPS). Civilians are arrested on political, religious, or gender grounds and are imprisoned in brutal conditions where forced labor is central to the regime’s economy. This report focuses on Chongori Kyohwaso No. 12, a prison camp in North Hamgyong Province holding between 1.000-1.100 prisoners annually, with approximately 80% of the detainee population being women forcibly repatriated from China.
Legal Manipulation for Enslavement
North Korea strategically exploits legal frameworks by introducing new laws or intensifying penalties within the DPRK’s Criminal Code to legitimise its persecution. The Ministry of State Security targets civilians for alleged anti-state crimes, including illegal border crossings, religious practices, accessing foreign content, currency exchange, or attempts to flee to the Republic of Korea (ROK/South Korea). Detainees are classified by songbun (socio-political caste), political beliefs, religion, or gender, with their sentences and type of detention determined by MSS without any judicial oversight. Sham trials are conducted solely for inmates transferred to MPS police prisons (kyohwaso or dallyeondae). Legislative changes and the open borders for trade, export, and deportations allow North Korean authorities to expand detention facilities, thereby increasing their capacity for forced labor there, a historical trend that is further evidenced by satellite imagery.
Fig. 1. Chongori Kyowaso No. 12 in 2008
Fig. 2. Chongori Kyowaso No. 12 in 2009
Collaboration with China in the Slave Trade
The Chongori prison camp, situated near the Chinese border, is linked to state trade companies holding export licenses that generate foreign currency for the North Korean regime. These companies engage in joint ventures with Chinese firms, which supply raw materials to Chongori from a nearby Rason Economic Zone, labeling the finished products as "Made in China" to conceal their true origin. Employees from these joint ventures oversee production within the prison.
Chongori prison produces various goods, including wigs, eyelashes, rattan bags, hats, sportswear, and other garments. Women are specifically targeted for detention, as Chongori predominantly depends on their labor for sewing, weaving, and the production of handmade wigs and false eyelashes.
Fig. 3. Drawing by Former Prisoner Depicting Rattan Bags and Eyelashes as Produced in Chongori
Both the DPRK and China facilitate the state-sanctioned trafficking of North Korean women, allowing their security forces to collaborate in the targeting, arrest, cross-border transportation, and enslavement of individuals detained in North Korea for profit. Approximately 80% of Chongori’s inmates are women who have been deported from China and enslaved to serve the interests of Chinese and North Korean businesses.
Chongori Kyohwaso Nr. 12
These women are forced to produce export goods such as wigs and eyelashes. Profits from these exported goods are funnelled to Pyongyang, with detention centres retaining 10%, and the enslaved women left unpaid. Detainees get stripped of their identities and face violence, sexual abuse, starvation-level rations, hazardous working environments, and workdays of up to 20 hours to meet export quotas.
"Hunger was even harder to endure than the beatings."
"If we didn't meet the production quota, we couldn't eat."
Evidence shows these abuses constitute ongoing crimes against humanity since at least 2007. Despite the large revenues that the prison produces, the annual mortality rate is alarmingly high at about 25%. The deceased are desecrated and incinerated on the nearby mountain called Pulmangsan, from which the prisoners could see the smoke. Families are left uninformed about their loved one's death. Witnesses reported monthly burnings of about 30 bodies between 2007-2010 (corresponding to about 7 deaths in a week). The camp constantly replenished its labor force with new prisoners.
Fig. 4. Satellite Imagery of Kyohwaso No. 12
Penetration of Slave-Made Goods into Global Supply Chains
Despite trade restrictions, goods produced through forced labor in North Korean detention centers with some involving foreign brands, continue to enter Western supply chains, often sold online.
Chinese businessmen looking for partners openly advertise these goods as made in North Korea to highlight the lowest cost of production. Companies in Rason Economic Zone serve as a cover for illicit activities, outsourcing production further to detention facilities. China employs a unique permission system for outsourced production.
Fig. 5. Shipment of Wig Raw
Materials to North Korea
Fig. 6. Wig Produced in
North Korean Prison Camp
Fig. 7. Liujinh Hotel, Koryo Restaurant in the middle of Jiadi Plaza Complex, housing various businesses such as DPRK Sungri Wig Factory
Chinese customs data reveal that North Korea is the only country from which wigs and eyelashes are imported through outsourced production, obscuring their true origin. These products are marked as “Made in China.” Consequently, despite the trade prohibitions on goods produced through forced labor in many countries, authorities in other regions often overlook these items due to the lack of detailed descriptions.
Table 1. Changes in Export Items from DPRK to China Since 2016
Links to Illicit Trade and UN Sanctions Violations
Many Chinese companies involved in the trade of goods produced through forced labor in prison camps continue to maintain joint ventures with North Korean state enterprises, violating United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
Fig. 8. Chinese Customs Statistics (illustrating that the only country for outsourced processing for wigs and eyelashes is DPRK)
These North Korean companies, which trade in wigs, eyelashes, rattan bags, garments, and other goods sourced in part from prison camps, have previously been flagged for their illicit activities. They help sustain slush funds for the North Korean regime and operate forced labor schemes that financially support the country’s weapons program.
Production of Wigs in Chongori Kyohwaso
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Average time for one prisoner to produce a wig: 6 days
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Estimated annual production for the entire wig unit (150 prisoners): 9.000 wigs per year
Revenue Generated from Wig Exports at Chongori Prison
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Estimated annual revenue: 9.000 wigs x 18 USD per wig = 162.000 USD per year
Production of Eyelashes in Chongori Kyohwaso
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Average daily production per prisoner: 30 pairs
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Estimated annual production for the entire eyelash unit (100 prisoners): 1.095.000 eyelashes per year
Revenue Generated from Eyelashes Exports at Chongori Prison
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Estimated annual revenue: 1.095.000 eyelashes x 0,06 USD per pair = 65.700 USD per year
Estimated Revenue Generated from Wig Exports at Chongori Prison Between 2016-2024: 1.226.693 USD
Estimated Revenue Generated from Eyelash Exports at Chongori Prison Between 2016-2024: 497.492 USD
Implications for Criminal Responsibility
The evidence points to the individual criminal responsibility of officials at the highest level of the North Korean regime all the way down to low and mid-level officials in and around Chongori. The evidence indicates that Party and Ministry officials are complicit in maintaining this oppressive system through the design and enforcement of currency acquisition quotas (waku).
They execute these plans by distributing quotas, licensing state-run enterprises for trading, and overseeing prosecutors, the judiciary, and security forces. Government-owned enterprises engage in trading goods obtained through detention facilities, sharing profits with higher authorities, perpetuating the system. Multiple businesses may face future criminal trials for aiding and abetting crimes against humanity linked to this trade network.
Fig. 9. Connection Between North Korean Authorities and Chinese Companies
Legal Avenues for Victims
The Republic of Korea, as a signatory of the Rome Statute, allows for the prosecution of international crimes under its jurisdiction through the Act on Punishment of Crimes under Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (Act No. 8719, Dec. 21, 2007, amended by Act No. 10577, Apr. 12, 2011). This Act applies to both Korean nationals and foreigners committing crimes specified in the Act within South Korea or abroad, allowing for prosecution in cases connected to DPRK crimes.
Similar to victims in Syria and Myanmar, who have been pursuing justice through universal jurisdiction in countries like France, Germany, or Argentina, there are no legal obstacles for the North Korean victims to pursue justice in South Korea. However, South Korea has never tried the cases of crimes against humanity despite its legal obligations.
NKHR's Recommendations:
1. Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights calls on all concerned states to recommend that the President of the UN Human Rights Council appoint a panel of experts who, in collaboration with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in DPRK, should examine the institutional framework, individuals involved, and chain of command of the military and security forces in the DPRK that are responsible for and are profiting from commission of mass atrocities.
2. The Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights strongly calls on the UN Security Council member states to convene a special briefing dedicated to the situation in the DPRK to urgently discuss critical links between human rights and security. This briefing should have a primary focus on the connection between the DPRK’s military and security forces, their international supply chains tied to mining and light industries, and the associated crimes against humanity.
3. The Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights urges to incorporate, into the UN Resolution on the Human Rights Situation in the DPRK, a call for UN member states to establish a warning system for companies about the increased risk of involvement in severe human rights violations. Emphasising states’ obligations to comply with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and UN Global Compact for companies and the necessity of conducting due diligence on human rights and product origin when engaging in trade, directly or indirectly, with the DPRK, its representatives, and intermediaries abroad.
4. The Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights urges the European Commission to classify North Korea as a high-risk country due to its use of state-imposed forced labor in prison camps, where goods falsely labeled as “Made in China” enter the EU market. These goods may result from gender-based, political, or religious persecution, linked to imprisonment and forced labor for profit in North Korean prison camps producing items for China-North Korea joint ventures. In light of the EU's regulation prohibiting products made with forced labor from entering the Union market, an investigation should be conducted to ban goods labeled "Made in China" if there is reasonable suspicion of involvement by North Korean prison labor.
5. The Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights urges to, under the new Sanctions Mechanism - a Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) - establish a task force and an inter-governmental consultative body that should engage with civil society and investigative journalists to thoroughly examine reports and existing evidence of slavery and other crimes against humanity within the DPRK’s supply chains and should monitor the export of minerals, light industry products, and other goods originating from prison facilities and political prison camps in the DPRK. This examination is crucial as this trade not only supports the country’s military and nuclear programs, but also perpetuates human rights abuses.
6. The Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights calls for major garment manufacturers and large e-commerce platform companies selling wigs and eyelashes in the EU market and importing products from China to be required to implement robust due diligence processes to ensure their suppliers are not involved in North Korean prison labor. These processes are vital for identifying, preventing, mitigating, remedying, and addressing human rights abuses within their supply chains, some of which may be linked to crimes against humanity in North Korean prison camps.
7. The Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights calls upon all garment brands, including sports brands, that outsource production to China, and e-commerce businesses selling wigs, eyelashes, rattan bags, and knitted goods labeled ‘Made in China’, should require suppliers to disclose the origins of their products and should disengage if such information is not provided or cannot be vetted.
8. The Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights urges that no individual or corporation should source from the Rason Economic Zone or the Dandong and Hunchun economic hubs, which serve as safe havens for the clandestine activities of the North Korean government and its affiliates, many of which connect with numerous dubious Chinese businesses. If companies do not cease their complicity, the governments of South Korea, Japan, the U.S., and Europe should employ all available policy and legislative measures to end this complicity.
9. The Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights calls upon United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to urge Chinese President Xi Jinping to halt the forced repatriation of North Korean refugees from China. This practice shows elements of the slave trade and state-sanctioned human trafficking, involving cooperation between Chinese and North Korean security forces to arrest, transport, and detain those repatriated in North Korean prison camps for profit.
10. The Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights urges South Korea to implement a reparations system for victims. Collaborate with like-minded countries to freeze or seize assets of individuals, companies, and institutions connected to crimes against humanity in the North Korean supply chain. These assets could serve as the International Fund for Victims of the North Korean regime. We call on the Government of the Republic of Korea to lead efforts by officially pledging support and advocating for the establishment of the International Anti-Corruption Court. This Court would enable prosecution and penalization of kleptocrats and their associates, while recovering, repatriating, and reallocating illicit gains to support the victims of grand corruption.
11. The Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights calls upon South Korea, as a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to make use of its authority to prosecute international crimes under its jurisdiction. The Act on Punishment of Crimes under Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (Act No. 8719, Dec. 21, 2007, amended by Act No. 10577, Apr. 12, 2011) applies to both Korean nationals and foreigners who commit crimes outlined in the legislation, whether within South Korean territory or abroad. As a result, the Act can be utilised in various contexts related to criminal offenses occurring in the DPRK.
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Acts committed in and around Chongori from 2007 onwards could form a first crime against humanity case to bring empowering and transformative justice to the victims.
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We call on the Republic of Korea to create a specialized serious crimes unit within the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office to investigate serious crimes tied to North Korean atrocities, akin to the existing units focused on terrorism and organized crime that operate proactively. Alternatively, the President could initiate such an investigation. This approach would leverage the extensive access to documentation held by the National Intelligence Service, the Ministry of Unification, and the Ministry of Justice, enhancing the effectiveness of the inquiry.
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We call on the Republic of Korea to engage international legal experts to develop a process that empowers local lawyers to provide legal advice and representation to victims of crimes against humanity and witnesses, including individuals with insider knowledge.
Read Our Complete List of Recommendations in the Full Report
