North Korea has significantly raised the foreign currency quotas for its workers sent abroad, a decision that is expected to lead to even more demanding working conditions for laborers in foreign countries.
In Russia, particularly in Sakhalin, North Korean construction workers have seen their monthly quotas for foreign currency double, from 62,000 rubles (nearly $730) per person. A source in Russia told Daily NK that this new requirement has resulted in laborers working longer hours to meet the increased demands. "Because of this order, laborers are being forced to work even longer hours to meet the quota," the source said.
A similar scenario is unfolding in Dalian, China, where North Korean workers in seafood processing plants are also facing doubled quotas. Following a March 10 directive from North Korea, the required amount workers must pay each month has surged from 3,400 yuan (nearly $470) per person. "Workers now face an even heavier burden due to North Korea demanding they pay double the previous monthly amount of 3,400 yuan per person," a source in China reported.
These increased quotas are part of North Korea's broader demand for more "loyalty money" from overseas workers, which is described as crucial in the context of what the government calls the "final year of the Eighth Party Congress." The government has framed this as a "patriotic movement" aimed at generating foreign currency to mark the year as a significant "celebration of victory."
The pressure on workers is palpable as they are now forced to work even longer hours to meet these heightened quotas. "The government already takes most of what North Korean construction workers earn, so saving money was already difficult," explained the Russian source. "Now that authorities have doubled the loyalty cash quota for the 'final year of the Party Congress,' workers complain they won't see a penny even if they work themselves to death."
Many workers had hoped that after several years of hard labor abroad, they could return home with enough savings to start their lives. However, the increase in "loyalty cash" payments has left them questioning their future. North Korean workers "had planned to work for two or three years and return home after saving enough to get married, but because of these 'loyalty cash' payments, they worry they'll never be able to return with enough savings," the Chinese source noted.
Under the current regime, North Korean workers have no means of protesting the exploitation of their wages. Their difficult working conditions are often observed by sympathetic locals. "Young female North Korean workers must obey their supervisors and endure without proper compensation," the source in China said. "Chinese people who are aware of the North Korean workers' miserable circumstances feel very sorry for them."
However, HNGN cannot independently verify the claims.
