GLOBALIZED ECONOMY, GOODS

PRODUCED IN ONE NATION END UP ON

SHELVES AND IN STORES HALFWAY

AROUND THE WORLD.

AND WHILE CONSUMERS HOPE THERE'S

SOME WAY TO PROTECT THE WORKERS

WHO MAKE THE PRODUCTS WE BUY,

SOME AMERICAN COMPANIES HAVE

RECENTLY COME UNDER SCRUTINY FOR

ALLEGED LINKS TO FORCED LABOR.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM SPEAKS WITH THE

JOURNALIST BEHIND A NEW

INVESTIGATION DOCUMENTING THE

FORCED LABOR BEHIND CHINESE

SEAFOOD THAT ENDS UP ON AMERICAN

PLATES.

WILLIAM: IN RECENT YEARS,

AMERICANS HAVE BEEN EATING

INCREASING AMOUNTS OF SEAFOOD.

IT IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE

HEALTHIER SOURCES OF PROTEIN BUT

A SERIES OF NEW INVESTIGATIONS

ABOUT THE OUTLAW OCEAN PROJECT

REVEALS THAT THE WAY A LOT OF

THAT SEAFOOD ENDS UP IN OUR

STORES AND ON OUR PLATES COMES

AT AN EXTRAORDINARY HUMAN COST.

SPECIFICALLY, WORKERS FROM NORTH

KOREA WHO ARE FORCED TO WORK IN

CHINESE FACTORIES.

HERE'S AN EXCERPT ABOUT LOLO

OF OUTLAW OCEAN'S RECENT

--

>> 2023 WAS A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL

YEAR FOR THIS SEAFOOD PROCESSING

COMPANY BASED IN CHINA WHICH

OPENED A LARGE PLANT EDIT

COMPOUND IN THIS CHINESE CITY

THAT SITS ALONG THE NORTH KOREAN

BORDER.

THE COMPANY DOUBLED THE AMOUNT

OF SQUID IT EXPORTED TO THE

UNITED STATES.

IN CELEBRATION OF ITS SUCCESS,

IT THREW A HUGE PARTY AT ITS

ANNUAL MEETING WITH DANCERS,

FIREWORKS, AND A HIGH-TECH LIGHT

SHOW.

THE PROBLEM THOUGH IS THAT A

CRUCIAL REASON FOR THEIR SUCCESS

WAS ITS WIDESPREAD USE OF CHEAP

NORTH KOREAN LABOR.

IT WAS PART OF A MUCH BIGGER

STATE RUN PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN

CHINA AND NORTH KOREA, WHERE

WORKERS ARE SELECTED BY THE

NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT AND

EXPORTED ACROSS THE BORDER TO

WORK IN CHINESE SEAFOOD PLANTS.

THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM, BECAUSE

IT VIOLATES VERY CLEAR AND

STRICT U.N. SANCTIONS AND U.S.

LAW PROHIBITING THE USE OF NORTH

KOREAN WORKERS IN THIS VERY

FASHION.

WILLIAM: JORDI B TAO IS THE

REPORTER YOU JUST ASKED JOINING

ME NOW -- JORDI B TAO IS THE

REPORTER YOU JUST HEARD --

JOINING ME NOW IS THE REPORTER

YOU JUST HEARD.

THIS INCREDIBLY HARROWING

INVESTIGATION LOOKS AT THE

SERIES OF THESE CHINESE SEAFOOD

PLANTS IN THE CITY YOU JUST

MENTIONED NEAR THE NORTH KOREAN

BORDER WHERE TENS OF THOUSANDS

OF NORTH KOREAN WORKERS.

EXPLAIN TO US HOW DID THOSE

WORKERS GET FROM NORTH KOREA

INTO CHINA.

>> THIS IS A LONG-RUNNING

PROGRAM BETWEEN CHINA AND NORTH

KOREA.

THE TWO GOVERNMENTS COORDINATE

THE SELECTION OF WORKERS FOR THE

INDUSTRIES AND THEN TRANSFER

THEM INTO THE COUNTRY USUALLY

UNDER A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT WHERE

THEY STAY IN CHINA, MOST OFTEN

AT LOCKED DOWN PLANTS WHERE THEY

ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE.

THE NORTH KOREANS SEEK THESE

JOBS BECAUSE THEY TYPICALLY PAY

MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT THEY CAN

EARN IN NORTH KOREA.

THERE'S A RIGOROUS SELECTION

PROCESS IN NORTH KOREA FOR THOSE

WHO GET TO GO.

THEY ARE MOSTLY WOMEN AND THE

SELECTION PROCESS BY THE NORTH

KOREAN GOVERNMENT USUALLY MEANS

THEY DON'T CHOOSE PEOPLE THAT

WILL DEFECT.

WILLIAM: THIS IS LABOR FOR

CHINESE FACTORIES.

WHAT IS THE UPSIDE FOR NORTH

KOREA?

>> NORTH KOREA, BECAUSE OF THE

SANCTIONS, IS DESPERATE FOR

CAPITAL, FOR MONEY.

SO, THIS IS A

MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR MONEYMAKING

BUSINESS WHERE THEY SEND THEIR

WORKERS ABROAD AND THAT FOREIGN

CAPITAL IS A STRONG CAPITAL,

CHINESE CAPITAL THAT THEY CAN

USE TO BUY WEAPONS OR OIL OR

CONSUMER GOODS.

WILLIAM: LET'S LOOK AT ANOTHER

EXCERPT ABOUT WHAT THE

CONDITIONS ARE LIKE IN SOME OF

THOSE FACTORIES.

>> WORKERS OFTEN HAVE TO SIGN

TWO OR THREE YEAR CONTRACTS

AFTER THEY ARRIVE IN CHINA.

MANAGERS CONFISCATE THEIR

PASSPORTS.

IF WORKERS ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE OR

COMPLAIN TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE

PLANT, THEIR FAMILIES AT HOME

COULD FACE REPRISALS FROM THE

GOVERNMENT.

THE WORK ITSELF IS RELENTLESS.

SHIFTS AT THE SEAFOOD PLANTS RUN

14 TO 16 HOURS.

WORKERS RECEIVE UP TO ONE DAY

OFF PER MONTH AND FEW, IF ANY

HOLIDAYS OR SICK DAYS.

IN SEAFOOD PLANTS, THE WOMEN

SLEEP IN BUNK BEDS IN LOCKED

DORMITORIES, SOMETIMES WITH 30

PEOPLE TO A ROOM.

WORKERS ARE PERMITTED FROM

TUNING INTO LOCAL TV OR RADIO,

AND FROM LEAVING FACTORY

GROUNDS.

THEY DESCRIBE LOWLINESS,

VIOLENCE, AND A CRUSHING SENSE

OF CAPTIVITY.

WILLIAM: YOUR REPORT DOCUMENTS

EVEN WORSE CONDITIONS.

VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ABUSE,

PARTICULARLY AMONG THE WOMEN YOU

ARE TALKING ABOUT.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE A LITTLE BIT

ABOUT HOW THEIR LIVES ARE LIKE?

>> THIS IS A BRUTAL TYPE OF

WORK.

LONG HOURS IN TIGHT QUARTERS,

RELENTLESS PACE.

THEY ARE CAPTIVE ON FACILITIES

THAT ARE RUN BY MEN.

THIS WAS ONE OF THE BIG

REVELATIONS, THE EXTENT OF

SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST THE WITH

IT, QUITE ESPECIALLY WHEN WORK

STOPPED BECAUSE OF COVID.

THERE WAS NO WORK AND NO INCOME,

AND THEREFORE, THE WOMEN WERE

PRESSURED INTO PROSTITUTION.

WILLIAM: I THINK A LOT OF

AMERICAN CONSUMERS WOULD BE

HORRIFIED TO THINK THAT THE

CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH FOOD THEY

MIGHT BE EATING OR BUYING OF THE

STORE COME OUT OF CONDITIONS

LIKE THIS.

HOW DOES THAT END UP HERE?

WHICH RETAILERS ARE WE TALKING

ABOUT?

>> UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS MOST

RETAILERS, MOST OF THE LARGE

ONES.

THIS INVESTIGATION THAT LOOKED

AT THE USE OF NORTH KOREAN LABOR

FOUND SOME OF THE SEAFOOD WAS

ENDING UP ROUTING THROUGH PLANTS

THAT ARE SUPPLYING, WHICH

MCDONALD'S SUPPLIES.

CISCO ALSO IS GETTING

SEAFOOD FROM THESE PLANTS.

THEN, THE MAJOR GROCERY STORE

CHAINS, GIANT, WALMART ALSO.

THE GLOBALIZED WORLD WE LIVE IN

AND THE WAY THAT SEAFOOD IN

PARTICULAR LARGELY WRAPS THROUGH

CHINA MEANS THAT MANY, IF NOT

MOST BRANDS IN THE U.S. ARE

TAINTED BY THIS.

WILLIAM: WHEN YOU APPROACH THESE

COMPANIES AND SAY HERE IS WHAT

WE ARE DOCUMENTED COMING OUT OF

CHINA AND THE CONDITIONS THERE,

WHAT DO THEY SAY IN RESPONSE?

>> MOST STONEWALL US AND DON'T

ANSWER QUESTIONS.

SOME ENGAGEMENT SAY WE ARE

TAKING IT SERIOUSLY, WE WILL GET

BACK TO YOU.

STILL, OTHERS SAY WE HAVE TAKEN

THIS SERIOUSLY.

WE HAVE SEVERED TIES WITH THIS

PLANT IN PARTICULAR.

THE OVERALL UNDERLYING ISSUE IS

THE AUDITS, THE INSPECTORS THAT

THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING TO

CHECK FOR THESE ISSUES ARE NOT

WORKING.

THIS AUDITING MARKET WHICH SENDS

INSPECTORS INTO PLANTS, WHETHER

IT IS SOCCER BALLS, IPHONES OR

SEAFOOD AROUND THE WORLD, HAS

BIG PROBLEMS, BIG CHALLENGES.

OFTEN, THEY ARE NOT DOING

UNANNOUNCED VISITS.

THEY ARE DOING ANNOUNCED VISITS

SO THEY TELL THE PLANT WHEN THEY

ARE COMING.

THAT IS A FLAW.

THE OTHER BIG FLAW IS CHINA IS A

DISTINCT ENVIRONMENT AND THERE

ARE CERTAIN THINGS NOT ALLOWED

IN CHINA.

IF YOU WANT TO STAY IN THE

COUNTRY, WHETHER YOU ARE A

JOURNALISM ORGANIZATION OR

SEAFOOD COMPANY, THERE ARE

CERTAIN NO-GO TOPICS AND HE WAS

RIGHTS -- HUMAN RIGHTS ARE NOT

TOPICS YOU COULD BRING UP ON

MONDAY AND STILL EXPECT TO BE IN

THE COUNTRY ON WEDNESDAY.

WILLIAM: THE PROJECT IS CALLED

THE OUTLAW OCEAN PROJECT.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.