[Unofficial Korean-to-English translation provided by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

"[Exclusive] Coupang and Lotte Mart to stop selling Chinese seafood processed by North Korean forced labor," 10 April 2024

The U.S. Congress has issued a public statement to "immediately stop" South Korea's large-scale import and distribution of Chinese seafood produced by the forced labor of North Koreans.

...In response to the reporting, South Korean retail giants Coupang and Lotte Mart decided to stop selling the products on April 9. The companies reportedly made the decision in accordance with their internal policy of removing products deemed problematic due to international sanctions.

...Despite repeated warnings from the international community, Chinese seafood products imported by South Korean companies continue to be sold in the country's top supermarkets and online shopping malls. Clams exported to South Korea by one of the companies in question, Dandong Taihua, are popularly sold at Market Kurly. A South Korean importer of shellfish and other seafood from another Chinese company, Dandong Taifeng, advertises on its website that its products are listed in the ready-to-eat seafood section of E-Mart and other stores.

...In response, an official at a major supermarket told the ChosunIlbo, "When an importer of clams was asked by a U.S. nonprofit organization to confirm whether the Chinese company they buy from employed North Korean workers, they responded, 'We have sent all North Korean workers back and will not use them in production in the future'."

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