U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Tuesday announced it had confiscated merchandise made with forced North Korean labor.
According to a CBP press release, goods from several Chinese companies were seized on December 5 after they were found to have used North Korean labor via the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
The act is a 2017 law that strengthened sanctions on North Korea, Iran and Russia. It prohibits any goods produced by North Korean nationals from entering the U.S. unless clear and convincing evidence is provided that indicates the materials were not made with forced labor.
The law is one of several passed in recent years as part of a broader federal crackdown on forced labor.
“Legally and morally, we cannot allow these goods into our commerce,” said AnnMarie Highsmith, executive assistant commissioner in CBP’s trade office.
