North Korea has dispatched more than 150 workers through Hyesan customs to various industries in China. The workers, who arrived in Jilin province last month, were quickly assigned to garment factories, seafood processing facilities and restaurants as part of the regime’s push to generate foreign currency.
According to a source in China recently, most North Korean workers sent to China are not told where they will be assigned to work until after they arrive in the country.
The latest group of workers have been assigned to positions at garment factories and seafood processing facilities in Jilin province and at restaurants in Shenyang, in Liaoning province. Around 100 of the 150 workers are working at factories, while the rest have become servers at restaurants, the source said.
The North Korean workers received a week of intense training and then assumed their job responsibilities in mid-October.
North Korean workers recently sent to Hunchun’s garment factories on three-year contracts initially show high spirits and energy, working over ten-hour days without complaint. However, the source noted this enthusiasm soon fades as workers face harsh realities: grueling schedules, restricted movement, inadequate pay, and deteriorating physical and mental health – leading many to regret their decision to come to China.
“We’ll have to keep monitoring the situation, but the workers on this assignment will probably have to endure even stricter surveillance, controls and restrictions on movement than previous workers<” the source continued. “That’s both because it’s a sanctions violation to even have North Koreans working here and because their human rights are a constant topic of discussion in the international community.”
Restaurants are better than factory work
Workers assigned to a restaurant in Shenyang began serving tables just three days after arriving on site. In effect, they were put to work without even getting a chance to adjust to their new environment.
“Typically, workers have a week of on-the-job training before they begin their duties. But the restaurant was so slammed that the assigned workers had to hit the ground running almost as soon as they’d unpacked their bags,” the source said.
“In terms of work conditions, serving at a restaurant isn’t as bad as factory work, so servers tend to adjust pretty well. Even though the servers haven’t been on the job very long, they’re doing a good job, and the restaurant manager is satisfied with their work.”
The restaurant in Shenyang is doing brisk business, the source added, with customers drawn not only by its tasty food but also by its reputation for outstanding service.
Daily NK reported recently that the group of 150 North Korean workers (largely consisting of people in their 20s and 30s) had been designated for overseas work since May, but were not cleared by Hyesan customs officials to enter China’s Jilin province until early October.
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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November 12, 2024 at 06:30AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)