“Work harder, pay more, keep less” – this is the grinding reality for North Korean workers in Chinese factories, where a complex web of state quotas and mandatory contributions strips away their wages despite Pyongyang’s hollow promises of worker protection. In frigid seafood processing plants along China’s northeastern coast, women laborers watch their monthly earnings evaporate into an ever-growing list of state demands, leaving them barely enough to survive.
A Daily NK investigation has uncovered the stark truth behind North Korea’s overseas labor program in the industrial hubs of Dalian and Dandong. While North Korean authorities trumpet new directives to “protect the human rights of overseas workers,” the women in these factories tell a different story – one of punishing work hours, vanishing wages, and a byzantine system of fees that turns their labor into little more than state-mandated fundraising.
Opaque payment systems and state quotas
A worker at a Dalian seafood processing plant, identified as “A,” was promised 2,000 Chinese yuan ($280) monthly but actually receives only 300-700 yuan ($42-98). The payment system lacks transparency: “Sometimes I receive cash from various supervisors, other times they claim my wage is recorded in the books but I receive nothing,” she explained.
Similar conditions exist in Dandong, where “B” reports earning between 300-500 yuan ($42-70) monthly. “The company pays through managers, saying they’ll give us everything in cash when our contract ends,” she said, highlighting the concerning intermediary payment structure.
The state’s foreign currency quotas significantly impact workers’ earnings. In Dalian, workers must pay between 1,000-1,500 yuan ($140-210) per person monthly to meet these quotas. The situation in Dandong is even more severe, with “B” reporting that “70% of our earnings go to quotas.” Workers face additional financial burdens during holidays, paying hundreds of yuan for events like New Year’s celebrations and contributions toward maintaining sites like the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.
Poor working conditions in a legal gray area
Workers report particularly challenging workplace conditions. “We work longer hours in more dangerous conditions than Chinese workers, yet earn far less,” “A” noted. “B” emphasized basic comfort issues: “Our workspace is extremely cold; we wish they would provide better heating.”
These workers exist in a troubling regulatory vacuum, protected by neither Chinese minimum wage laws nor North Korean work regulations. “Neither country’s laws seem to apply to us,” “A” explained. “We can’t expect rights protection unless Kim Jong Un directly orders it.”
The consequences of failing to meet state quotas are severe. Workers who miss payments for four months face repatriation, often disguised as “vacation” from which they never return to overseas work. This practice extends beyond individual workers – managers whose teams fail to meet quotas face dismissal, with repercussions potentially affecting their children’s futures.
Lee Kyu Chang, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, notes that excluding workers from overseas assignments for failing to meet foreign currency quotas violates Article 8 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as it effectively constitutes forced labor.
Calls for real protection
The testimonies gathered by Daily NK suggest that Pyongyang’s order to “protect the rights” of overseas laborers remains purely rhetorical. Workers lack channels to voice complaints or seek improvements, trapped in a system where exploitation appears inevitable.
Their requests are basic: “I hope for fair payments, guaranteed rest periods, and wages that reflect our work,” said “A.” “B” added, “We could manage if they just increased our living expenses to 1,000 yuan.” These modest demands align with universally recognized labor rights, highlighting how North Korean authorities prioritize foreign currency earnings over worker welfare.
“North Korea has enacted various labor laws since 2009,” Lee noted, “but there’s a pressing need to ensure the authorities actually implement these protections.” The international community continues to advocate for the enforcement of these basic worker protections.
February 13, 2025 at 12:38PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)