North Korea says US-led arms buildup justifies expanding nuclear force
BEIJING: North Korea’s vice defence minister said on Thursday that a growing US-led military buildup and what he called an expanding nuclear alliance among Washington, Seoul and Tokyo justified Pyongyang’s efforts to strengthen and expand its nuclear forces.
According to a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, North Korean overseas workers raised between $450 million and $800 million last year to fund the country's nuclear weapons program. The report, co-signed by Western governments and US allies, details the systemic evasion of UN sanctions by North Korea and other countries through a network of unlawful overseas labor.
These laborers primarily work in China and Russia, numbering between 35,000 and 101,000. North Korean laborers are subjected to forced labor, with long hours, low wages, and confiscation of up to 90% of their income. They also face additional fees for remittances. Human rights groups have long criticized North Korea's forced labor program, and the report confirms this exploitation as a means for Pyongyang to evade sanctions and finance its nuclear weapons program.
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