Since the early days of his rule, Kim Jong Un has aggressively promoted mass mobilization under the pretext of a public movement to build a “strong and prosperous nation.” In particular, this year, marking the the final year of North Korea’s Five-Year Plan for National Economic Development (2021–2025), the Kim Jong Un regime has added the construction of three essential types of facility—healthcare facilities, multi-purpose cultural centers, and grain management facilities—to the ongoing local factory construction projects occurring in cities and counties across North Korea. Furthermore, at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Kangdong County Hospital, which began in February 2025, Kim once again emphasized the North Korean people’s strenuous efforts and patriotic enthusiasm. Given the current international sanctions faced by North Korea, the large-scale construction projects promoted by the Kim regime to achieve its economic plans can only be implemented through the collective labor mobilization of military construction workers, shock brigades (dolgyeokdae), scientists, engineers, and people from Party organizations and various labor groups. This article examines whether this mobilization of shock brigades represents a violation of the prohibition of forced labor under international human rights norms and explores the human rights implications of this mobilization by analyzing Rodong Sinmun articles published during the Kim Jong Un era.

Frequency and Organizational Status of Shock Brigades in 2024: An Analysis of Rodong Sinmun Articles Basis for Understanding Shock Brigade Mobilization as Forced Labor Expansion of Labor Mobilization through Shock Brigades