china factory confined workers china return
FILE PHOTO: A factory in the Chinese city of Hunchun, Jilin Province, that reportedly employs North Korean workers. (Daily NK)

North Korea’s closure of the country’s borders to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020 has meant that overseas laborers have been unable to return home for years.

Restricted to their dormitories and workplaces, North Korean workers in China are living as virtual prisoners.

Through past interviews with the laborers’ family members back in North Korea, Daily NK showed how the relatives of overseas laborers yearn for loved ones who have been unable to come back home for years, and eagerly await their return.

Recently, Daily NK conducted an interview with a North Korean worker in China, whose identity remains confidential due to security reasons. 

The North Korean worker expressed a yearning to see his family in North Korea, while sharing his pessimism regarding the current circumstances he is in. 

In fact, he bitterly complained that he cannot properly contact his relatives in North Korea, or save money because of excessive demands for “donations to the Workers’ Party.” 

In fact, his frustration is shared by many North Korean laborers overseas: Far from achieving their initial goal of going overseas to earn money, they still have no idea when they will return home.

Daily NK’s interview with the North Korean worker can be found below. 

DNK: How long have you worked in China, and since when have you been unable to return to North Korea?

I’ve worked in China for three years, and I have been unable to return to the North for two years and seven months. Before, I could go back and forth from Sinuiju once a month. The last time I returned home was December 2019.

DNK: Do you receive news from your family back home?

I heard through my company that my mother had passed away. Before, I could talk with my family over the phone once a month, but now I can’t call them at all. [At the time of my mother’s passing] I couldn’t return home because it was the height of the COVID-19 scare. Some laborers lost their husbands or wives. People have a lot of stories here. Dozens of laborers find themselves in this situation, not just a handful.

DNK: You seem to miss your family a lot. If you could say something to them, what would it be?

I want to meet my family as soon as possible. I especially miss my child.

DNK: Have you heard anything about when you might return? Is it true that sick people are returning to the North?

I just want to go home soon. The authorities are saying that we can go home once the COVID-19 situation improves, but I don’t think we will be able to return this year. Sick people were able to start registering last year to return home early, but there’s been no news about that yet.

DNK: Are you sending money home to your relatives?

In the past, I would visit Sinuiju once a month. I gave money to my family when I went to Sinuiju at the end of 2019, but I’ve been unable to send them money since then. About a month before returning to Sinuiju, I’d usually buy about RMB 500 – 600 [around USD 73 – 88] worth of goods in Dandong. Ordinarily, I’d purchase lots of clothing in Dandong and head to Sinuiju. When my family members came to Sinuiju from the countryside, I’d give them the goods and money.

DNK: Do you regret having gone overseas to work?

I regret it every day. I can’t make any money at all. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authorities have been tasking us with so much more than before. The authorities make demands on the company presidents, and to earn the trust of officials, the presidents offer them the monthly earnings of their laborers. The company presidents say they will give us the money when we return home, but even if we go back, with what money will the company presidents pay hundreds of laborers? We don’t have a lot of faith.

Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean