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North Korean Workers Given â€˜Crystal Methâ€™ to Speed Up Skyscraper Project

12 August 2016 22:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. North Korean workers building a 70-story skyscraper in the capital city of Pyongyang are being given crystal meth to speed construction, according to new reports, APA reports quoting sputniknews.

In spite of sanctions placed on North Korea by the international community over nuclear weapon tests, leader Kim Jong-Un approved the building project earlier this year. He has reportedly placed such intense pressure on the workers to finish it quickly that project managers are now openly handing out stimulants.

The methamphetamine is reportedly inhaled through the nose, increasing user energy for up to 12 hours.

Consistent use of the drug causes severe physical and psychological trauma, including delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations. Studies show an increased tendency toward suicide or homicide. With long term use, effects include rapid aging, and irreversible damage to blood vessels, including in the heart and brain.

Human rights organizations accuse the nation of using slave labor and urge the United Nations to step in.

Robertson labeled the construction project as forced labor.

"The North Korean government wants to finish these buildings to somehow prove that they are a developed country. But this kind of forced labour has been unilaterally condemned by the international community,” he said. "It is a throwback to the second world war, when governments regularly resorted to forcing labor of their citizens."

In a 2014 Vice News report, facilities in the nation were shown to be producing drugs for both domestic and international sales, beginning in the 1970s. In the 2000s, North Korean state chemists began to manufacture methamphetamine, originally as a medicine, before it became a popular drug.