North Korean youth rush marriage for a shot at overseas work
North Korean youth in North Hamgyong province are rushing to marry in 2026 to improve their odds of winning an overseas work assignment. Authorities...
N. Korea tightens vetting for overseas workers, demands verified contacts
North Korean authorities are requiring organizations seeking to deploy overseas workers to submit contracts bearing the actual seals of foreign business partners, then granting...
North Korea sends new wave of workers to China as surveillance tightens
North Korean workers are once again filling factory floors in China, as large numbers of new arrivals replace those who returned home over the...
North Korea skims pay hike meant for workers sent to China
Contract wages for North Korean workers newly dispatched to China have risen sharply in recent months, but the increase is only inflating what Chinese...
Residency ID rumors spark hope for North Korean defectors in China
Rumors that China may soon issue permanent residency ID cards to North Korean defectors are spreading rapidly across the country's northeast. The rumors have...
In China, North Koreans hear they’re the poor ones
North Korean authorities boast of the country's rising international standing. But in 2026, a very different story is spreading among North Korean people in...
North Korean defectors in China alarmed as Kuaishou messages reach police
Chinese authorities are monitoring North Korean defectors through Kuaishou, a popular Chinese short-video and messaging platform, raising alarm among defectors hiding in China.
According to...
TB cases among North Korean overseas workers put Chinese factories on alert
Multiple North Korean workers recently deployed to factories in northeastern China have tested positive for tuberculosis, raising serious doubts about the reliability of pre-departure...
China recruits North Korean defectors as informants to trap escape brokers
Chinese police are recruiting North Korean defectors living in China as informants and using them to infiltrate defector escape networks, leading to the arrest...
North Korean street food finds market across the border in China
Ethnic Chinese residents of North Korea are carrying Chongjin-made soy meat and fried tofu across the border into China and selling them there, turning...
