{"id":4566,"date":"2020-05-08T18:42:47","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T09:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4566"},"modified":"2022-05-16T18:01:10","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T09:01:10","slug":"4566","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2020\/05\/recommendations\/4566\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cN. Korea Pro Report (Part 4)\uff1e How is N. Korea\u2019s Economy Faring in the Face of the Coronavirus Pandemic and Continued Sanctions? A Look at the Exploitation of Women Working Overseas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A North Korean woman working as a server at a hotel banquet hall in Yanji, China. The event was for a Korean-Chinese couple\u2019s wedding. Her pin is decorated with the flag of North Korea. Photographed in October 2017 by ISHIMARU Jiro<\/p><\/div>\n

In a 2019 report, the US State Department claimed that North Korea dispatches 100,000 workers annually to work overseas, earning $500 million per year. The exact number of workers and revenue earned is unknown but, what is for certain, is that maintaining this source of foreign currency revenue is vital for the regime in order to make up for its massive trade losses. With this understood, UN Security Council sanctions, which have brought North Korea\u2019s trade revenues crashing down, are also aimed at blocking North Koreans from working overseas.<\/p>\n

Part1 >>><\/strong> \uff1cN. Korea Pro Report (Part 1)\uff1e How is North Korea\u2019s Economy Faring in the Face of the Coronavirus Pandemic and Continued Sanctions?<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

However, North Korea is still managing to dispatch laborers to foreign countries- primarily to China. This cohort of North Korean workers is mostly composed of women employed by Chinese factories and restaurants. ASIAPRESS conducted an investigation in China to understand the situation and asked reporting partners in North Korea to give insight into the state\u2019s process for selecting laborers to be dispatched overseas.<\/p>\n

\u25a0 An overview of the situation for workers dispatched to China<\/h2>\n

First, let\u2019s review the contents of the UN Security Council sanctions regarding the North Korean practice of dispatching laborers overseas.<\/p>\n

\u2022All countries are required to repatriate all North Korean workers within 2 years (Resolution 2379, published in December 2017)
\n\u2022All countries are prohibited from issuing labor permits to North Korean workers (Resolution 2375, published in September 2017)
\n\u2022Joint ventures and business activities with North Korean organizations and individuals are prohibited and must be wound down within 120 days of the resolution being passed (Resolution 2375, published in September 2017)<\/p>\n

As stated previously, the exact figures regarding North Korean overseas workers are unknown. Private organizations have estimated the total number of workers to be somewhere between 30,000 and 120,000 people, while Korean media estimates put the number somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000. It is known for certain, however, that the top two destinations for overseas workers are China and Russia.<\/p>\n

Let us first take a look at the situation for North Korean workers dispatched to China. Most of this group are employed in factories, either sewing clothing and producing shoes, while the second most common field of employment is in the restaurant industry. According to a survey of several companies in the Jilin and Liaoning provinces, the average monthly wage paid by Chinese companies between 2017 and 2019 was between 2,000 and 2,500 RMB for clothing manufacturing plants and 2,500 to 3,000 yuan for restaurants. (2,500 RMB is worth roughly 350 US dollars).<\/p>\n

Most North Korean workers in China are women, although those employed by Chinese software development companies are all men. In Russia, it is much the same, with North Korean women employed in service industries such as restaurants and North Korean men employed in the construction and refurbishment industries.<\/p>\n

So, how much money does the North Korean regime make by sending workers to China?<\/p>\n

North Korea mainly dispatches overseas laborers to trading companies. These companies are mostly based in Jilin Province, near the North Korean border, in places such as Dandong, Changbai, Yanji, and Honchun. There are even some Chinese companies that act as brokers for the North Korean laborers, arranging lodgings and factory placements. Chinese companies pay wages directly to the North Korean trading companies responsible for dispatching the workers and take no responsibility for the North Korean female employees.<\/p>\n

\u25a0 Does the state exploit 60-80% of the earnings?<\/h2>\n

It is estimated that these female laborers ultimately receive about \u2155 to \u2153 of their wages. If a laborer receives \u2153 of their 2,500 yuan wage each month, she will only receive for herself an equivalent of 116 US dollars each month. If this is the case for 50,000 North Korean laborers, then $69.6 million will be pocketed by the regime each year. Extending the estimate to 100,000 North Korean laborers, we can calculate that the regime rakes in $139.2 million annually from the practice. This is a massive contribution. For reference, revenues from North Korea\u2019s 4th strongest export, iron ore, stood at $74.41 million in 2016, the year before the UN Security Council sanctions were tightened.<\/p>\n

North Korean trading companies hand the wages of overseas laborers over to agencies in Pyongyang. Due to the strict financial sanctions, however, this must be done by bringing large amounts of cash over the border into North Korea or, alternatively, the money can be left with trading partners in China to cover payments for imports.
\nNext page :\u25a0 China\u2019s Autonomous Region of Yanbian welcomes North Korean workers...<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A North Korean woman performing in a North Korean restaurant in Dandong, China. The North Korean women work diligently to serve meals and clear plates away from the stage as well. Photographed in May 2016 by ASIAPRESS<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25a0 China\u2019s Autonomous Region of Yanbian welcomes North Korean workers<\/h2>\n

North Korean workers in China are mostly employed in manufacturing plants and restaurants. One may imagine the \u201cNorth Korean restaurants\u201d famously operating overseas, with their North Korean staff performing songs and dances in traditional dresses. It is more likely, however, that the majority of North Korean women are instead employed by restaurants in Chinese hotels.<\/p>\n

Northeast China, where there was once 1.9 million ethnic Koreans, has recently seen a massive exodus of the Korean-speaking population. Of this group, 600,000 now live in South Korea, while between 50,000 and 100,000 now live in Japan. In addition, many have migrated to the larger Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Dalian. As such, there are now far fewer young, ethnic Koreans in Dandong, Shenyang, and Yanbian Autonomous Region. With a rise in tourism from South Korea, there is now a huge demand for young, diligent, Korean-speaking workers. It is no wonder then, that North Korean women are welcomed by local industries.<\/p>\n

\u25a0 Female laborers caught in limbo<\/h2>\n

North Korean women working in China live as groups and are forced to maintain the \u201corganizational activities\u201d they would normally participate in back in North Korea. In late fall of 2017, I spoke with a female employee working for a mid-sized hotel in downtown Yanji. When the hotel\u2019s restaurant closed at 11 p.m., about 25 female employees gathered at the entrance of the hotel in winter clothes before departing together, walking in a row. Following the group, I watched as, 15 minutes later, the women entered an old block of apartments. Waiting in front of the hotel the next morning, I saw the group return just after 8 a.m., walking to the entrance in the same formation.<\/p>\n

In September last year, I ate a meal at the \u201cNorth Korean Restaurant\u201d of Dandong, China. There were about 20 customers and the waitresses looked fairly relaxed. My Chinese partner was acquainted with one of the waitresses and called her over to speak with us in an empty room.<\/p>\n

The waitress said, \u201cIt\u2019s been 5 years since I came to China at the age of 22. My visa has expired but the manager tells me to stay here. I can\u2019t go outside and I want to go back to Pyongyang to see my family. I don\u2019t know when I will get to do that. My passport was left to the manager shortly after my arrival in China. At the restaurant, we hold weekly political ideology study sessions and self-criticism sessions. There is an officer of the North Korean secret police who is in charge and he records our individual behavior. Only North Korean broadcasts are allowed on the TV.\u201d<\/p>\n

As I left the restaurant, a dog ran out of the building after me. The waitresses shouted \u201ccome back\u201d but did nothing more. None of them came out of the restaurant to chase after the dog.<\/p>\n

During the investigation, I found no cases of dispatched North Korean laborers engaged in prostitution.
\nNext page :\u25a0 The response of Chinese authorities to sanctions...<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Map of North Korea. Produced by ASIAPRESS<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25a0 The response of Chinese authorities to sanctions<\/h2>\n

It can be said that the response of the Chinese authorities has varied between faithful implementation of the sanctions and what can only be described as \u201cturning a blind eye.\u201d For example, the Chilbosan Hotel, a North Korea-China joint venture in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, was closed on January 9, 2019, just before the deadline set by the UN sanctions. Later, the hotel was opened under Chinese ownership. According to a survey by ASIAPRESS, information regarding the dismantling and of joint ventures was delivered to various companies across China. Sections of Chinese companies that were operating joint ventures in cooperation with North Korean mines in Musan and Hyesan were all said to have been dismantled.<\/p>\n

The Chinese government does not seem to be renewing or issuing new work visas, although it is not yet known if this is due to an official, comprehensive policy. An investigation by ASIAPRESS, however, found that North Korean laborers are still being hired by Chinese companies through various loopholes.<\/p>\n

One such loophole is referred to as \u201criver crossing,\u201d in which laborers from the North Korean border region receive a border pass that does not require a visa. It is a simple document that resembles a passport and restricts the movement of the holder to certain areas while allowing them to be employed. In addition, it is believed that North Korean workers are employed on entertainment, study abroad, and technical training visas.<\/p>\n

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The largest China-North Korea joint venture hotel was the Chilbosan Hotel in Shenyang. It was shut down in January 2018. This photo was taken in October 2017, just 3 months before it was closed. ISHIMARU Jiro<\/p><\/div>\n

In 2019, a group of female workers were seen in Tumen City, Jilin Province and Dandong, Liaoning Province, on their return back to North Korea. This occurred immediately after the deadline for dispatched workers to return to North Korea. After ASIAPRESS provided this information to KBS, a team of reporters (the same team that documented border smuggling in the region) visited Tumen City in late November of last year to film the hundreds of North Korean women seen boarding busses, empty-handed, for their return through Tumen\u2019s Industrial Complex on the border. It is said that between 2,000 and 3,000 people work at this industrial complex, which was originally designed for North Korean workers to provide cheap labor for Chinese companies.<\/p>\n

Chinese authorities have stopped issuing and renewing work visas, despite pressure from the Kim Jong-un regime, which hopes to make up for lost foreign currency revenue, and from Chinese companies, which look to capitalize on cheap labor. It is highly likely that the Chinese government will point to this act in the future as proof that the UN sanctions were faithfully implemented.
\nNext page :\u25a0 How are dispatched workers selected in North Korea?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25a0 How are dispatched workers selected in North Korea?<\/h2>\n

In November 2019, ASIAPRESS commissioned reporting partners in North Korea to investigate the selection process for workers dispatched overseas from North Hamkyung Province, Ryanggang Province, and Pyongyang. The findings of the investigation revealed that the regime\u2019s cabinet leads the selection process. To begin with, the central administrative agencies such as the Forestry Ministry, the General Bureau of Tourism Management, and the Ministry of Trade set a quota for the number of people to be dispatched. These quotas are then shared by Pyongyang to the local departments of agencies, trading companies, and other foreign currency-earning enterprises for them to begin the recruitment and selection process. Those who wish to be dispatched overseas can be recommended by their workplaces and then have their resumes submitted for consideration following a comprehensive background check by local police and secret police.<\/p>\n

Applications must be ratified at the city, county, and province level by central administrative agencies. If a worker is dispatched through the Ministry of Forestry, for example, an official of the provincial department of the Forestry Ministry will conduct a personal interview to check the applicant\u2019s background information before returning the personal details report to the Ministry of Security to be ratified.<\/p>\n

To be dispatched abroad, a worker\u2019s application must receive a \u201cguaranteeing signature\u201d from the secret police, the police, and the head of the applicant\u2019s organization. It is said that applicants also need 3 separate guarantors and to submit a document outlining all family relations. If anyone from the applicant\u2019s family has defected, the applicant will not be allowed to work abroad.<\/p>\n

According to a reporting partner from North Hamkyung Province, \u201cThe selection criteria is based strictly upon one\u2019s social caste and family background. It is impossible to be accepted if even a cousin has illegally crossed the border (defected). Married women who apply must have at least two children. They also have to submit to a medical checkup and infectious disease and AIDS test.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the words of a reporting partner from Ryanggang Province, \u201cThere are very strict standards for applying to work in the service sector such as restaurants. Women must be over 160 centimeters tall but, depending on their appearance, may apply if they reach only 158 centimeters. It is mainly the children of trading company\/foreign currency-earning enterprise officials that are selected. Applicants who can sing, play a musical instrument, or dance are given preferential treatment. Students from art institutes are also given preference.\u201d<\/p>\n

To be dispatched to work overseas is a dream for ordinary citizens. Most of those dispatched overseas are said to have parents who are either rich or in powerful positions. Parents hope to receive some of the foreign currency earned abroad and also wish to give their child a \u201cforeign experience,\u201d going so far as to pay bribes to have applications accepted.<\/p>\n

A mother living in Ryanggang Province, whose daughter had been sent abroad to work in China, said, \u201cOur family had no money and was struggling but we were able to send our daughter to China because of our strong family background and her good looks. I didn\u2019t want her to live like her parents, who have never been to Pyongyang, flown on a plane, or been abroad. I wanted her to see the outside world and have her eyes opened wide.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the reporting partner in Ryanggang Province, overseas workers receive about 300-500 RMB per month of their wages. North Korean regulations allow for overseas workers to stay abroad for between a year and 18 months, although it is also said that the work period can be extended.<\/p>\n

\u25a0 Strict suppression and surveillance after returning home<\/h2>\n

A reporting partner living in Ryanggang Province met a woman who had returned home in early 2019 after working in a Chinese restaurant for 2 years. She told the reporting partner that, upon her return, she had to spend 3 days writing a \u201cself review\u201d for the Party Committee and Youth Alliance. (North Korean women belong to a local Youth Alliance from high school age until they are married).<\/p>\n

The \u201cself-review\u201d described by the returned worker is a form of self-criticism that requires the writer to list all mistakes made while abroad. This self-review is combined with reports from local supervisors for a returned worker\u2019s evaluation. Even minor mistakes must be written down. It is said that the workers are warned not to dress in foreign style or adopt a foreign hairstyle.<\/p>\n

For factory workers, things are a little different. As \u201ctechnical workers,\u201d they are sometimes dispatched in groups. In the past, they have been dispatched from Saebyeol County and Rason City in North Hamkyung Province. (ISHIMARU Jiro)<\/p>\n

Part 5 >>><\/strong> \uff1cN. Korea Pro Report (Part 5)\uff1e How is N. Korea\u2019s Economy Faring in the Face of the Coronavirus Pandemic and Continued Sanctions? A Look at the Regime\u2019s COVID-19 Countermeasures<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u203b ASIAPRESS contacts its reporting partners in North Korea through smuggled Chinese mobile phones.<\/p>\n

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