Reviving Coal Trade: North Korea's Shadow Economy Thrives Amid Sanction Lapse

North Korea's coal and mineral exports have surged due to lack of UN oversight, utilizing forced labor and transportation networks in China and Russia. A report exposes increased shipping activity, suggesting trade acceleration post-2024 when Russia blocked UN sanctions monitoring. The trade supports North Korea’s military and security operations.

North Korea's coal and mineral exports are seeing a significant rebound, driven by forced labor and a shipping network stretching through China and Russia, amid an absence of United Nations oversight, a report by a Seoul-based human rights group reveals.

The Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, alongside British research group Data Desk, alleges that since March 2024, the trade has accelerated, notably after Russia vetoed the extension of a UN panel that monitored these sanctions. Satellite imagery showed an increase in large vessels at North Korean ports, rising nearly fivefold from 2019 to 2025.

The report highlights alarming ties between North Korean ministry-linked companies running the coal trade and the military. Interview accounts from former prisoners and defectors describe a grim reality of forced labor camps supporting this economy. Despite a UN ban, coal exports continue, with origin documents frequently falsified for international sales.