Religious freedom is respected. On several occasions police responded to large student and labor demonstrations with excessive force and mass arrests. In 1998, authorities arrested dozens of trade union leaders for organizing strikes deemed illegal. Courts released most of them in early 1999, but some remain in prison. In January, courts sentenced 15 labor activists to between 3 and 15 years in prison under the NSL for joining an allegedly pro-Pyongyang group.
Trade unions are relatively small but vigorous.
In November, the government formally legalized the KCTU, ending the FKTU s status as the sole legal confederation. The 1998 Trade Union Labor Relations Adjustment Act lifted a ban on multiple trade unions in each industry that had maintained the FKTU s dominance, and will permit multiple unions at the company level in 2002. However, the act places some restrictions on labor activity, including a ban on strikes in some nonessential services. Authorities rarely prosecute employers engaging in illegal layoffs. Employers frequently physically abuse foreign laborers and force them to work longer hours and for less pay than initially promised.