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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Justin McCurry in Tokyo

How North Korea’s lucrative trade in human hair is helping it skirt the impact of sanctions

A worker at a factory in Pyongyang, North Korea
A worker at a factory in Pyongyang. North Korea has been accused of using exports of wigs made of human hair to skirt sanctions. Composite: AFP/Getty Images

They almost certainly don’t know it, but western owners of shiny new wigs and false eyelashes could owe their look to North Korean slave labour.

In recent years, a booming trade in human hair has helped to sustain North Korea’s isolated economy, softening the impact of international sanctions and providing Pyongyang with vital revenue to pursue its nuclear ambitions.

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