North Korea Slams US Human Trafficking Designation as "Slanderous Political Provocation"

North Korea reacted angrily on Saturday to a U.S. government report that gave the lowest rating to the country's response to human trafficking, calling it a "viciously slanderous and insulting political provocation."

The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks in a statement released on Saturday (October 10), saying, "The despicable and malicious intention of the United States to politicize and weaponize human rights as a primary means of its hostile policy toward the DPRK has once again been clearly confirmed."

The spokesperson dismissed it as "a deceptive 'report' charade by the United States that has nothing to do with genuine human rights protection," adding that it is "a concentrated expression of a hostile policy that violates our state's sovereignty and internal affairs and undermines the rights and interests of our citizens."

The spokesperson also criticized the report, stating, "It is merely a false document designed to justify interference in other countries' internal affairs and regime overthrow, and right here lies the moral and ethical vulgarity and problematic nature of the policy pursued by the United States."

The spokesperson argued, "The essence of the U.S. policy toward the DPRK is to obliterate our people's inalienable right to existence and development, and this is precisely the main reason why we must devote ourselves more to building strong power to defend our national sovereignty."

The spokesperson warned, "The U.S. 'human rights' racket against the DPRK, which gravely threatens the state's sovereign rights and the rights and interests of our citizens, will be a primary target for our toughest countermeasures against the United States, alongside other hostile acts."

In its "2026 Trafficking in Persons Report" released on October 8, the U.S. Department of State classified North Korea as Tier 3, the lowest category.

The U.S. State Department pointed out that there was a government policy and pattern of human trafficking in North Korea, noting that the country subjects not only adults but also children to forced labor in political prison camps and labor reeducation camps, and imposes forced labor conditions on workers dispatched overseas.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.