SEOUL, March 31 (UPI) -- North Koreans are increasingly less likely to work abroad to bring in foreign currency, because of economic opportunities available inside North Korea and because of exploitive work conditions overseas.
The workers, nearly all men, are typically sent to work on construction and other physically intensive sites in the Middle East, Russia and China. The North Korean government withholds their earnings, reported Radio Free Asia, and transfers the funds to support Kim Jong Un's treasury. North Korea is reported to keep 30 percent of wages as part of a "loyalty fund" and also subtracts insurance and food expenses from net compensation for laborers.