North Korea rejects U.S. human trafficking report

North Korea's foreign ministry accused Washington of politicising human rights on October 10 after a U.S. report again placed the country in the lowest Tier 3 category.

State news agency KCNA carried the ministry spokesperson's response. According to Yonhap, Pyongyang described the document as interference in domestic affairs and evidence of a hostile U.S. policy. The spokesperson threatened strong countermeasures, without identifying specific steps in the statement quoted by the agency.

The State Department released its 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report on Thursday. North Korea remained in Tier 3 for the 24th consecutive year. The department linked trafficking to forced labour in political prison camps and labour training centres, saying the resulting proceeds helped finance government operations. It also reported excessively long working hours for North Koreans employed abroad and restrictions on their access to their passports.