With North Korea expected to expand its overseas workforce, more young women are taking lessons in singing and musical instruments with the hope of landing a job at a restaurant abroad.
“Young women who meet the requirements are seeking to secure a position at an overseas restaurant, which is thought to be better in several respects than a factory job,” a source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK recently. “Since talent is necessary to survive the competitive selection, these young women are spending a lot to improve their singing voice or pick up musical instruments.”
According to the source, the primary requirements for being selected as an employee at an overseas restaurant are physical appearance (a height of at least 160 centimeters), family background (known as songbun in North Korea), and participation in organizational life. Bribes to officials responsible for organizational recommendation and job selection are also a tacit requirement.
“There aren’t many openings at overseas restaurants to begin with, so meeting the basic requirements is no guarantee that you’ll get picked. Given how competitive these spots are, it’s necessary to pull strings with a senior official and also pay big bribes,” the source said.
Better conditions than 14-hour factory shifts
It appears that large numbers of young women in North Korea hope to be sent overseas, where they believe they can earn more money.
While the requirements for factory jobs are not as strict as for restaurant jobs, many are reluctant to join the assembly line because of widespread rumors in North Korea that people work for more than 14 hours a day and are treated “more like machines than people.”
Conditions are much different at overseas restaurants, the source explained.
“Overseas restaurants don’t work you as hard as factories do, and the work environment is decent. So even well-off families want their daughters to get jobs as restaurant workers. When a woman meets most of the requirements, families that can pull strings and afford the bribes will do their best to arrange a restaurant position.”
But the applicant’s musical talent is another important factor in the final selection.
As a result, young women aspiring to a job at an overseas restaurant are taking private vocal, guitar, and accordion lessons. Considering that a single subject costs at least 100 yuan (roughly $14) per month, a considerable sum is needed to learn several subjects at once.
“Young women would rather work at an overseas restaurant than a factory, but those jobs aren’t given to just anyone. You’ve got to check all the boxes—you need to have good looks, a solid background, and musical talent. So people get jealous when they hear somebody landed a job at an overseas restaurant,” the source said.
February 03, 2026 at 05:34AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)