To dry up funds for N. Korea, US, Japan, S. Korea urge ban on workers

Robert Besser
12 Apr 2023, 15:05 GMT+10

The US, South Korea and Japan have called for further international efforts to ban North Koreans from working abroad
In their first gathering in four months to discuss how to cope with North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal, South Korean, US and Japanese nuclear officials met in Seoul last week
Recent North Korean weapons tests highlighted its intent to acquire more advanced missiles that can reach the US and its allies

SEOUL, South Korea: The US, South Korea and Japan have called for further international efforts to ban North Koreans from working abroad, as well as to counter cybercrimes sponsored by North Korea, in a bid to block funding for Pyongyang's nuclear program.

In their first gathering in four months to discuss how to cope with North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal, South Korean, US and Japanese nuclear officials met in Seoul last week.

Recent North Korean weapons tests highlighted its intent to acquire more advanced missiles that can reach the US and its allies.

North Korea allocates a large proportion of its limited resources to its nuclear and missile programs, even after 11 rounds of United Nations sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic, which have worsened North Korea's economic and food crisis.

In a joint statement released by Seoul's Foreign Ministry, the South Korean, US and Japanese officials urged the international community to follow UN resolutions banning North Korean workers overseas.

Many North Korean workers remains engaged in economic activities around the world and send back money used in the North's weapons programs, the ministry added.

Before 2019, the US State Department had estimated there were about 100,000 North Koreans working in factories, construction sites, logging industries and other types of jobs throughout the world, and brought North Korea an estimated $200 million to $500 million in revenue annually.

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