U.S. State Department keeps South Korea in Tier 1, places North Korea in Tier 3 for human trafficking
The U.S. State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report retains South Korea in the top tier for anti-trafficking efforts while assigning North Korea to the lowest tier for forced-labor practices.
The 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report released by the U.S. State Department kept the Republic of Korea in Tier 1, the highest category for anti-human-trafficking performance, alongside countries such as the United States, Britain and Germany. The tier placement reflects Seoul’s expanded investigations, higher conviction rates and updated guidelines that give victims quicker emergency assistance. Nonetheless, the report criticized the country’s lenient sentencing, saying it hampers full accountability and that the number of adult sex- and labor-trafficking cases pursued is still far below the estimated magnitude of the problem.
Conversely, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea remained in Tier 3, its 24th consecutive year at the bottom, due to ongoing government-directed forced labor in political prison camps, “labor training centers” and overseas work programs that generate revenue for the regime. The agency added that many North Korean workers abroad endure excessive hours, hazardous conditions and lack passport access, facing threats of retaliation against themselves or relatives if they protest.
Why it matters
The rankings highlight divergent progress on human-trafficking reforms in the two Koreas and signal ongoing concerns about forced labor under the North Korean regime.
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