NEW YORK – The United Nations (UN) has voted unanimously in favour of tougher new sanctions on North Korea, which include a total ban on the export of textiles. Textiles are Pyongyang’s second-largest export, and the UN says the ban will cost the country more than US$700 million per year. North Korea’s largest trading partner, China also agreed to the sanctions that also included limits of the imports of crude oil and a ban on new visas for North Korean workers abroad.
Ecotextile News recently reported the claim that clothing imported by major apparel retailers and brands with the ‘Made in China’ label could actually have been made by extremely low-paid garment workers in North Korea, which are then exported back across the border for sale on the international market.
The news of further unauthorised sub-contracting of garment production in North Korea using exported Chinese-made textiles will concern many retailers and brands sourcing from the region.
