North Korean authorities recently told overseas job applicants that failure to give the government its share of their earnings would result in restrictions on future work opportunities.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source inside North Korea told Daily NK on Tuesday that the External Construction Guidance Bureau and other government agencies involved in sending North Korean workers overseas announced the measure last week.
The measure aims to emphasize to existing and future overseas workers that they will not be able to work abroad again if they fail to meet their earnings quotas.
Through the recent announcement, the External Construction Guidance Bureau and related agencies also made it clear to people in the selection or assignment process that failure to pay the government’s share on time would be considered serious misconduct that could prevent them from going home on vacation.
The source said that the bureau, as well as ministries and party organs that manage overseas workers, also use ideological indoctrination to convince workers awaiting selection or assignment of the importance of fulfilling government quotas.
North Koreans working overseas are required to pay a portion of their earnings to the government. In this sense, the government appears intent on tightening control over overseas workers in order to maximize its foreign exchange earnings.
The source noted, however, that “blocking workers from future overseas assignments could foster [negative] opinions about the government.”
Managers are concerned that latest measure could lead to more defections
A source in China told Daily NK that similar rules have been announced locally in China and Russia. The source said that not only returnees awaiting the results of the selection and assignment process, but also workers currently on overseas assignments have been told that they will lose their chance to return overseas if they fail to pay the money they owe the government.
“North Korean workers who want to continue their overseas assignments will have to work even harder to make their contribution to the government. This spells the end of any attempts to hide a little pocket money when they return home,” the source said.
“The latest move puts an undue burden on expatriate employees. Local managers are also concerned that fears about the future may push some workers to defect.”
Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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