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N. Korea is investigating whereabouts of “missing overseas workers”

The North Korean government is investigating the whereabouts of missing workers as it conducts a census of citizens working overseas, Daily NK has learned. 

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in Russia told Daily NK on Tuesday that North Korean authorities are currently working on an accurate count of how many North Koreans are working in trade companies and work crews in the country.

In the case of workers whose whereabouts are unknown, authorities are also investigating when they were last seen, whether they have been in contact with South Koreans or foreigners who could have helped them defect, and whether they have defected to South Korea.

Meanwhile, a source inside North Korea told Daily NK that the authorities are conducting a full investigation of exactly how many citizens are on assignment in other foreign countries, including China and Mongolia, as well as into the location of any workers who have gone missing.

When the authorities confirm that any of these missing workers have defected to South Korea, they are punishing family members who remain in North Korea.

“State security agents recently dropped by my old home and picked up my parents. The agents badgered my parents to admit that they knew I’d gone to South Korea and finally stripped my father of his party membership,” said one defector (identified here as “A”) who came to South Korea two years ago, following five years of overseas work.

The defector’s father had been allowed to join the party after more than 20 years of labor in the mines, but he was robbed of that membership because his son had defected while working overseas.

“My parents tell me not to worry and say that party membership doesn’t have that many perks nowadays, but I still feel bad about it,” “A” remarked.

 “A” had been reported as missing after his defection and had retained that status in North Korea until recently. But state security agents appear to have learned that he had gone to South Korea.

“It’s just fortunate that my parents weren’t relocated to another area. This other guy who defected while working overseas later learned that his family members were forced to move from a large city to a rural area,” the defector remarked.

Tightening control over overseas workers

Defections among North Koreans stationed overseas as laborers or trade officials increased while the North Korean border was closed during the pandemic, and the North Korean authorities appear to be tightening surveillance on these individuals and doing whatever is necessary to prevent any defection attempts.

Daily NK previously reported that North Korean authorities recently ordered the confiscation of all cell phones owned by North Koreans working in Russia.

For North Koreans working overseas, cell phones are not only a way to get news from the outside world, but also an important way to contact brokers if they want to defect. In light of this, the confiscation of their cell phones by the North Korean authorities appears to reflect a desire to nip any defection attempts in the bud.

And as North Korea has grown closer to Russia since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin in September 2023, Russian intelligence appears to be cooperating with North Korea’s surveillance and control efforts aimed at preventing defections of North Koreans working in Russia.

Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler. 

Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.

Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

May 09, 2024 at 12:30PM

by DailyNK(North Korean Media)

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