Correspondence
Email sent to the contact address for HF Foods Group, the parent company of Great Wall Seafood.
The email said: "I’m contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry, and a link we’ve discovered between a company engaged in such practices and your supply chain – Donggang Jinhui Foodstuff Co. Ltd. We have uncovered evidence that Donggang Jinhui has used North Korean labor after the December 2019 deadline for the repatriation of overseas North Korean workers required under United Nations Security Council sanctions. This evidence shows North Korean labor at Donggang Jinhui’s plant in Liaoning, China, as recently as 2023.Under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), passed in 2017, the U.S. prohibits the import of any goods produced by North Korean nationals unless clear and convincing evidence is provided that indicates the materials were not made with forced labor. According to trade records seen by The Outlaw Ocean Project, Great Wall Seafood VA LLC was the consignee for shipments of squid products from Donggang Jinhui in 2022 and 2023. While we understand that you may not be aware of the above issues, we want to ask if Great Wall Seafood VA LLC has any comment to make in response to this email?"
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed two contact addresses at HF Foods Group, saying: "We emailed HF Foods Group on December 14, 2023 with a query regarding Great Wall Seafood VA LLC. Since then, our ongoing investigation into the use of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry has made additional findings, including concerning a Chinese company called Dandong Zhengrun Food Co. Ltd. A video shared online by Dandong Zhengrun Food Co. Ltd. shows that the processor has received catch from a Chinese fishing vessel called the Liao Dan Yu 15035. Satellite tracking shows that the Liao Dan Yu 15035 repeatedly fished in North Korean waters in 2023 before returning to port at Dandong, Liaoning province. Foreign fishing in North Korean waters is banned under United Nations Security Council resolutions adopted by the Security Council in 2017. Trade records show that Great Wall Seafood LA LLC, Great Wall Seafood TX LLC, Great Wall Seafood VA LLC and Han Feng Inc. have been the consignees of shipments of seafood from Dandong Zhengrun since 2018. While we understand that you may not be aware of the above issues, we wanted to ask if your company has any comment or statement to make in response to this email?"
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed: "As we haven't heard back from you on this, we wanted to check if you had any comment or statement to make at this time?"