China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to reports that North Korean workers at multiple factories in the northeastern province of Jilin went on strike and rioted over long-term non-payment of wages, saying, “We are not aware of the mentioned situation.”
Maoning, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said this at a regular briefing on the 19th when asked if he could confirm the facts of the related reports.
Previously, Japan’s Sankei Shimbun reported on the 18th that North Korean workers committed this act due to long-term non-payment of wages, citing a report by Special Assistant to Unification Minister Koh Young-hwan. This is the first time that workers dispatched by North Korea have staged such a large-scale strike and riot.
In principle, according to UN Security Council resolutions, hiring workers from North Korea is prohibited. However, China and Russia still accept them.
A significant amount of the foreign currency earned by North Korean workers in China and other countries is repaid to the Kim Jong-un regime. The Sankei Shimbun reported that this money appears to have been used as a source of funds for nuclear and missile development.
North Korea is strictly controlling information to prevent rumors of strikes and riots from spreading, but if word spreads among workers and strikes become more frequent, the Kim regime’s means of earning foreign currency could be shaken.
In addition, since 2020, when traffic between North Korea and China was cut off due to the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), companies under the North Korean Ministry of Defense that dispatched workers used the amount paid by Chinese companies to be delivered directly to workers under the name of ‘war preparation funds’. It was found that the money was paid back to the home country.
The company has explained, “If the coronavirus pandemic subsides and (workers) return to North Korea, we will pay (the workers’ acquired portion) in a lump sum.” But in reality, the money was being sent to the home country. This situation has been revealed as traffic between China and North Korea has gradually resumed since last year.
Angry workers began refusing work around the 11th, and the strike expanded at clothing manufacturing and seafood processing subcontract factories in Jilin Province. Riots even broke out, including taking North Korean executives occupying the factory hostage and destroying equipment.
Kim Jong-un, general secretary of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, designated the disturbance as a ‘special incident’ and dispatched Consul Zhou Shenyang and agents of the National Security Agency, a secret police force, to handle the situation, promising immediate payment of wages.
The situation calmed down around the 15th, but funds to pay unpaid wages were depleted. It is reported that company executives and diplomats stationed in China are being forced to change, and there remains a risk that the disturbance will recur.
(Beijing·Seoul=News1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.