German retailer Aldi Nord has launched an audit of Chinese merchants for hiring North Korean workers, according to a report by the Outlaw Ocean Project, an overseas group.
On February 25, The New Yorker revealed that it had investigated some of China's seafood processing factories and found alleged forced labor by North Korean employees. North Korea has been sanctioned by the United Nations and the United States for conducting a series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests since 2017.
Ian Urbina, author of Outlaw Ocean, mentioned that Donggang Haimeng Food*** and Donggang Jinhui Food*** supplied to Portuguese processors and eventually to Aldi Nord's Portuguese supermarket, naming the two companies to continue to employ North Korean workers after December 2019, the deadline set by the United Nations Security Council for the repatriation of North Korean workers. Among them, until October 2023, there are still hundreds of North Korean workers at the Haemeng factory; Kim Hui is still using North Korean workers in November 2023.
Haimeng is the first supplier of Brasmar, a Portuguese processing plant, and Brasmar products are listed on the shelves of ALDI supermarkets, with brand names Golden Seafood and Tesoruos do Mar. Jinhui supplies Riberalves, a Portuguese white fish processor, and the products end up in Aldi retail stores.
Haimeng responded on Feb. 7 that the company did not employ North Korean workers and that the company's recruitment was fully compliant with SEDEX Membership Ethics Audit (SEMATA) standards. Jinhui did not respond.
On 5 February, Marina Fuhrmann, head of Aldi Nord, replied: "We are currently conducting a data survey with ** vendors to obtain more detailed information and to assess whether the product comes from the above-mentioned production facilities. As the assessment is still ongoing, we are unable to provide any details at this time. ”
On December 6 last year, ALDI suspended its relationship with Jinhui Company. Fuhrmann explained that no more products are being sourced from Jinhui until Riberalves issues the confirmation letter.