The North Korean regime maintains one of the world's largest forced labour systems. The government, short of cash due to international economic sanctions, exploits its own people as labourers to provide money for its needs. Workers are sent to companies in Russia, China other countries around the world — including member states of the European Union. Featuring undercover footage and powerful testimonials, Why Slavery? North Korea’s Secret Slaves reveals the scale and brutality of the operation.

With the promise of payment and honour, thousands of North Koreans are being sent abroad, only to find themselves under constant surveillance, working 12 hour days, in harsh conditions for wages that are transferred directly to the regime. Why Slavery? North Korea’s Secret Slaves exposes the inner workings of the system and how companies and governments, bound by law to protect their employees, are complicit in the trade of human beings. The documentary asks how this method of operation is legal, and what — if anything — is being done to stop it.

About Why Slavery?

Why Slavery? is a series of ground-breaking documentary films investigating why slavery remains so endemic in the 21st Century. The Passionate Eye will broadcast two films in the series, Maid in Hell and North Korea’s Secret Slaves.