An increasing number of North Korean women, even the mothers of newborns, are turning to prostitution in order to make a living, Daily NK has learned.
“Recently, a woman surnamed Choi and two others were dragged away by police officers near Hamhung Station while engaging in prostitution,” a South Hamgyong Province-based source told Daily NK on Tuesday. “They met with misfortune while simply trying to provide for their families.”
According to the source, the women arrested were all in their late 20s and had given birth between five and nine months ago.
In Choi’s case, she used to provide for her family by selling rice cakes on the street. She got married in November 2020 and gave birth to a child in November 2021.
However, her health deteriorated after childbirth and she had also used up all the money for her business, so she could no longer do her previous work. As a result, she found herself turning to prostitution with her friends in order to put food on the table.
Prostitution became widespread in North Korea during the Arduous March period in the latter half of the 1990s. This was when women had to find ways to survive after the rations supplied by the government suddenly stopped being distributed.
As more women started engaging in sex work, North Korean authorities increased crackdowns targeting prostitution. Since then, the prevalence of prostitution in the country fell to some extent.
Due to the economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the number of women working as prostitutes is once again increasing, according to the source.
“Mothers who just had children must be in very dire straits to be engaged in sex work,” the source said, adding, “Before the authorities crack down on these women, they must first solve the problems impacting their lives.”
According to Article 249 of North Korea’s Criminal Code, women who are caught engaging in prostitution can receive a punishment of up to one year of forced labor, and up to five years at a forced labor correctional facility in more serious cases.
In the recent Hamhung Station crackdown, the local authorities were somewhat lenient and sentenced the women to just three months at a forced labor camp given that they have newborns to look after.
Translated by Gabriela Bernal
