Advertisement

North Koreans shy away from working abroad

Stories about workers who are exploited or deprived of full compensation discourage potential workers from joining North Korea’s overseas workforce.

By Elizabeth Shim
North Korea sends hundreds of thousands of workers overseas and earns billions of dollars by withholding their compensation. File Photo by UPI/Stephen Shaver.
North Korea sends hundreds of thousands of workers overseas and earns billions of dollars by withholding their compensation. File Photo by UPI/Stephen Shaver. | License Photo

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.

Advertisement

Economic conditions may also explain why North Koreans are shunning overseas work. The unofficial economy of North Korea has improved and ordinary North Koreans can make a living in markets cropping up around the country. Sources inside North Korea say selling goods in markets that border China can yield up to $10 daily for some traders.

One unnamed North Korean inside the country said stories of exploitation discourage potential workers from joining North Korea's overseas workforce. The source cited the case of a North Korean returnee from Namibia who could not collect even half the compensation owed to him — and is now coping with an illness.

Advertisement

In February a North Korean defector who escaped a life of forced labor said the North Korean leadership sends tens of thousands of slave laborers to construction sites in the Middle East and elsewhere.

He said North Korea's system of slave labor earns the regime more than $1.8 billion annually. NK Watch, a Seoul-based human rights organization, said 100,000 North Koreans toiling abroad earn around $3 billion annually for Kim Jong Un. Lavish celebrations on the anniversary of North Korea Liberation, to be held in August, are to be funded by cash earned abroad.

On March 16 the U.N. Special Rapporteur for human rights in North Korea said North Korean workers were building Qatar facilities in preparation for the 2022 World Cup, reported BusinessKorea. The North Koreans are held in control during their time abroad – by authorities who hold the families of the workers in North Korea until their return.

Latest Headlines