The government plans to conduct its first in-depth investigation into forced labor in North Korea.

The North Korean Human Rights Records Center, which operates under the Ministry of Unification, will pursue an in-depth investigation and research project on forced labor in North Korea until the end of this year.

The center plans to carry out in-depth interviews with North Korean defectors who have entered South Korea within the last five years to understand the reality of forced labor in detention facilities and social organizations in the communist country.

In particular, the center plans to investigate how forced labor has changed since Kim Jong-un came to power.

This is the first time the government will conduct an in-depth investigation into forced labor in North Korea, and the outcome of the investigation will not be disclosed to the public but will be used to establish the government’s policy on North Korean human rights.