N. Korea slams US human trafficking report as grave provocation

North Korea has vehemently condemned a recent U.S. government report on its human trafficking situation, branding it a "grave politically-motivated provocation" aimed at highlighting Washington's hostile stance towards Pyongyang. The U.S. State Department's 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report has placed North Korea in the lowest Tier 3 group of countries for anti-human trafficking efforts, alongside China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba.

This is the 24th consecutive year that North Korea has received this designation. North Korea's foreign ministry spokesperson expressed outrage over the report, stating that it is "full of lies, fabrications, prejudice, and hostility" and serves to politicize and weaponize human rights for the U.S.'s hostile policy towards the DPRK.

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