[imText1]On the night of July 5th, I visited the North Korean restaurant, ‘Pyongyanggwan’, in an alleyway full of eateries in Qingdao, China.
The North Korean waitresses wore simple uniforms with a name badge depicting the North Korean flag attached to their chests, and kindly guided customers to their seats.
Do you know the saying, “Nam-nam buk-nyeo?” (A statement that it is the men in the South who are handsome, but the women of the North who are beautiful). Like the North Korean cheerleaders at the last Asian Games in Busan, the female employees at this restaurant possessed attractive features that were beautiful enough to envy.
If one person flees, all are repatriated back to North Korea
I questioned one of the employees about how many people worked at the restaurant and how long they had been there. The North Korean employee replied that a team of 11 people work for a 2 year term, and then are returned to North Korea. This particular employee and her coworkers had been at the restaurant for 6 months.
The female employee had learned through a friend that during the last term of workers, one of the 11 women ran away. As a result, the remaining employees were all forcefully repatriated back to North Korea without having completed the remaining term.
What happened to the employees that were forcefully repatriated back to North Korea? Were the women forced to endure “unwholesome” treatment, or severe oppression? Or were they forced into the gulags, treated no better than animals? It is uncertain what happened, but it is painful to even imagine the possibilities.
Selected from North Korea’s elite class
Suddenly, half-way through the meal, a performance began. The female employees were dressed attractively in traditional Korean costumes and sang ‘Ban-gab-seum-ni-da’ (Pleased to meet you), which added to the traditional atmosphere. In addition to singing, dancing, and other musical performances were also displayed, while onlookers swayed to the music.
North Korea employees working in foreign countries such as China, are women not only educated in the service industry, but are often also skilled in song and dance.
In fact, the North Korean women working at these restaurants are mostly from North Korea’s elite class. In general, daughters of leading North Korean authorities or diplomatic officials, elite women from leading institutions, such as Kim Il Sung University, Kim Hyung Jik College of Education, International Relations University, and Pyongyang University of Foreign Language are contenders for selection.
Moreover, the self-esteem of employees sent to foreign countries is very high. The job of “Dispatch Service” is one that is particularly popular amongst North Korean women. This is in great contrast to elite women in the South who find service jobs, such as working in reception, one of the most challenging jobs around. It is possible that elite North Korean women find this “Dispatch service” appealing due to the fact that they are able to break away from the closed North Korean culture and experience life overseas.
Earnings go towards filling Kim Jong Il’s stomach
Where do all the profits from North Korean restaurants located overseas go? Under the title “Foreign Currency Earning Activity”, profits accrued in foreign countries are administered by authorities and maintained in authority funds for Kim Jong Il’s private use.
In the end, the efforts by employees separated from their families and working hard in faraway places for their ‘homeland’ truly does none other than satisfy the stomach of Kim Jong Il. While North Korean people are supporting their dictator and working hard to earn money in distant locations, Kim Jong Il and his counterparts are luxuriously enjoying the foreign income.
Even more unfortunate, is the fact that skills are wasting away as North Korean women sacrifice their efforts for foreign currency earning, even before being able to use their knowledge and skills in fields of personal interest. How great would it be if the people working hard separated from their families and dispatched to China, had the freedom to pursue their talents in fields of their own choosing? How great would it be if these people were given the freedom to laugh with their families and envision a productive and successful future?
The women smiled brightly, although somewhat embarassed, when I asked to photograph them together. I felt an overwhelming sense of both affection and pity towards them, as they unceasingly waved their hands goodbye.
Kim Jong Il, the selfish dictator, threatens the world with missiles using the money earned by young and beautiful North Korea women rather than feeding the starving North Korean people. Even if it is for the women oof Pyongyanggwan, I wish for the Kim Jong Il dictatorship to end, and for the day to come when North Korea embraces democracy.
