The nation would by the end of this month no longer employ any North Korean workers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, after Taiwan was included in a list of nations that still employ North Koreans in a sanctions advisory published by Washington.
The US Department of State and other US agencies on Monday warned businesses against contracting overseas companies that employ North Korean workers, thereby generating revenue for the North Korean government in a potential contravention of US sanctions.
The advisory listed Taiwan among the 41 nations and jurisdictions where laborers working on behalf of the North Korean government were present last year and this year, with China and Russia continuing to host more such workers than all of the other nations on the list combined.
The agencies flagged the seafood industry as the most likely sector in Taiwan to employ North Korean workers.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a news release yesterday said that the Fisheries Agency has for years been cooperating with UN Security Council resolutions concerning North Korea.
“On Aug. 12, 2016, the agency issued a notice to concerned firms asking them to stop hiring or renewing existing employment contracts with North Korean crew members,” the ministry said. “It also encouraged them to terminate the contracts in advance.”
As of Monday, the number of North Koreans working on Taiwanese fishing boats had been decreased from 278 to only three, who are working on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean and are due to be released when the ship reaches the port at the end of this month, the ministry said.
As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan has complied with international actions designed to achieve denuclearization in North Korea and stabilize the region, it said.
“Our cooperation has been publicly recognized many times by the US and other members of the international community,” it said, pledging to continue to cooperate to ensure regional peace, stability and prosperity.
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