North Korea recently announced that the United States, by making baseless allegations regarding human rights against this country, is attempting to undermine North Korea's sovereignty. This stance was taken in response to the 2026 annual report by the U.S. State Department on human trafficking, which identifies North Korea as a country with the highest level of human rights violations.
North Korea's Reaction to the U.S. Report
A spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Ministry described this report as highly provocative and political, claiming that Washington has turned the issue of human rights into a tool for advancing its hostile policy against Pyongyang by making fabricated claims. This official rejected the findings of the U.S. report, accusing the country of politicizing and instrumentalizing human rights. According to him, the publication of such reports only signifies interference in the internal affairs of countries.
Read more: Kuwait Purchased an Advanced Air Defense System from England
Allegations and Their Consequences
The spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Ministry also accused the United States of expanding human trafficking and described the annual report of this country's State Department as a means to justify interference in the affairs of other countries. He emphasized that the U.S. human rights campaign against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is accompanied by Washington's hostile actions and stated that these actions would face the toughest counter-responses from North Korea. However, no details were provided regarding the nature or timing of these potential actions.
The U.S. State Department released its annual human trafficking report on Thursday, placing North Korea at the lowest level of this ranking, known as Tier 3, for the twenty-fourth consecutive year. In this report, forced labor supported by the government and insufficient measures to combat human trafficking were cited as reasons for this ranking.
The United States itself has previously accused Pyongyang of exploiting prisoners and workers sent abroad through forced labor. These allegations have been consistently denied by North Korea, which believes that such accusations are merely part of Washington's hostile policies against this country.
Read more: The U.S. State Department Issued a New Security Warning to Citizens in Western Asia · Foreign Ministers of Seven Countries Oppose U.S. Sanctions on the International Criminal Court
