Under growing pressure from global sanctions, the cash-strapped North Korean regime has responded by sending more workers overseas, placing some 1,000 female workers in restaurants in the city of Yanji in eastern Jilin Province (China) alone. In order to secure more foreign currency-earning channels, cadres assigned to the task are now dispatching these employees to local Chinese restaurants, instead of opening up their own North Korean establishments, Daily NK has learned.
Approximately 30 local restaurants in downtown Yanji have employed a total of 1,000 North Korean workers including female servers, noted a number of agents from China’s Ministry of Public Security who spoke with Daily NK’s special coverage team. The sources explained that while Pyongyang had until now limited the employment of its workers to Chinese factories and North Korean establishments in China, it has now turned to local restaurants as it faces unprecedented difficulties in securing foreign currency.
“These days, Chinese labor is becoming expensive and it’s not easy to find young female workers. That’s why we’re seeing this trend of Chinese companies discreetly looking to hire North Koreans, who are considerably cheaper,” a high-ranking Chinese public security official told Daily NK.
While North Korea independently runs a few well-known establishments such as Pyongyanggwan, Morangwan, Haedanghwagwan, and Koryogwan in China, efforts have recently been made to operate more joint restaurants with Chinese partners, the source explained. Dwindling patronage following a request by the South Korean government for its citizens to refrain from patronizing North Korean restaurants abroad is also a contributing factor.
“These days if you walk around downtown Yanji, you’ll come across a good number of restaurants that operate with regular Chinese signboards, but if you go inside, you’re greeted by North Korean female workers,” he added.
Although the North Korean employees work side by side with local hires, the source (who had visited a few such establishments), described them as assigned to distinct roles. It appears they are strictly limited to offering food choices, serving alcohol, and putting on performances for the guests.
The Chinese restaurants in return pay a monthly sum of 3,000 RMB (450 USD) per worker to the North Korean cadres who manage these staff, of which 2,000 RMB (300 USD) is remitted to the state, and the remainder is kept by the worker. “From North Korea’s point of view, they don’t need to worry about managing the restaurant or paying workers. Instead they’re easily earning foreign currency just by dispatching young women to these restaurants,” an additional source with the Ministry of Public Security said.
However, a number of local restaurant workers informed Daily NK that while this new practice may benefit Pyongyang, in many ways, it is disadvantageous to the female employees. In comparison to their peers at North Korean eateries, workers at Chinese restaurants are often said to struggle to adapt, suffering from discrimination by their Chinese employers and local colleagues.
In addition, interacting with VIP customers presents a whole new set of problems for the female servers. For the rich Chinese and South Korean customers, regulars are typically served in VIP rooms with an average of three North Korean staff joining them, either to perform, or sing and dance with them, according to accounts from Chinese staff members. Some of these customers are said to forcibly grope or sexually harass the wait staff, but the women have no avenue to lodge their complaints or seek support, adding to their difficulties.
These problems are the least of concerns for the North Korean leadership, as women are considered to carry the burden of earning money for the state. It is assumed that the majority of these female workers simply endure the difficulties in order to send money home.
They also face considerably stricter surveillance and control from their North Korean managers, as they are more directly exposed to their Chinese counterparts, unlike factory workers who are almost completely isolated from local hires.
Another troublesome practice that has come to light is the trend of North Korean restaurants ‘sharing workers’ among different establishments. Based on the sales and customer numbers at eateries in Yanji, those with slower business are sending their workers over to busier establishments.
This trend is poised to become a more dominant practice, local sources speculate, as more North Korean restaurants are opening up major restaurants as opposed to individual establishments, making worker sharing even more convenient.
While this practice provides an easy solution for keeping productivity up and labor costs down, it exposes the workers to a greater risk of abuse and exploitation.
A South Korean businessperson in the region who has observed such changes in the industry surmised that the constantly changing work environment would make it difficult to form bonds with other coworkers.
“On top of that,” the source said, “the fact that they’re moved around to work would intensify their workload, and because they’re being sent away from their original workplace, they would likely feel very self-conscious and anxious.”
*This article has been brought to you with support from the Korea Press Foundation.
