According to the International Herald Tribune writer, Mindy Kay Bricker, Kaesong is not the only instance of the North Korean Government diverting its citizen’s money into government coffers. It seems as if the practice of sending North Korean citizens abroad to work in factories — all for the benefit of the North Korean leadership — has been common practice for some time now.
As per Bricker’s article:
“Although the Czech government stopped issuing new work visas for North Koreans in June, those who entered previously are still employed at various sites, including the Snezka textile factory here in Nachod, where they sew headrests and armrests for BMWs, Mercedes, Renaults and other cars sold in Western Europe.“
This reminds me of how South Korean men and women would travel to Germany in the mid-1960’s to work either mining or as nurses — all to send money back to South Korea, which in turn helped South Korea prosper. It seems that the North Korean Government is doing the same, however, their workers are slaves kept under strict control:
“In Nachod (Czech Republic), the North Korean workers socialize with their foreign co-workers at the Snezka factory. They speak Czech and talk about work, but never socialize after work hours, colleagues said, and they are watched over by a translator who most often answers for them. Without having the freedom to speak, “that means that they don’t have any freedom at all on the ground(s) of a democratic country,” said Willy Fautre, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers. “This is just more evidence that the women are hostages of North Korean officials.”
Sometimes, not having a luxury sports car is alright . . .
18 Comments
The real tragedy is that Kim Dae Jung got a Nobel prize, and Vaclav Havel didn’t.
PS. Check Kim Jong Il’s pimp cup. I’m gonna start calling him ‘50-Won’.
“I don’t know what you heard about me (on CNN)
But South Korea can’t get a deal out of me
My BMW, my perm, can’t you see
That I’m a motherfucking P-I-M-P “
is it a lack of nimble asian fingers that led us car companies into the dire econnomic straits they are today. that and the continued output of pre-1970’s technology vehicles. if only the headrests on us vehicles were of such world class, so many more south koreans would be driving us-built cars. and amcham korea could kick back and stop telling a sovereign nation how to run things
dlatn–Chief, you lost me.
A couple of years back some north korean female workers in Czech attacked a camera man who was trying to do a report on them. The woman were looking pretty strong. I guess a little food goes a long way….
For those who are confused by these comments, this will explain everything.
By the way, makkeoli and posting comments don’t mix. And… errr… I don’t know this from experience. Neither does Chewy.
50-Won!
LOL.
dlatn has had more to drink than I have tonight. Wedge has the best avatar ever!
KJI rolling in the Caddy with Henny on ice and Russian Ho’s slappin’ on the side. It’s good to be the King. fo shizzle.
South Korean human resources were sent to West Germany in the 1960’s through an agreement signed between the two nations. In exchange for Korean human resources, the West German government established “german style” vocational training schools in Korea. At least, that’s what the stuff I read at work says.
Rumor has it, trainloads of North Korean men are sent to Russia to cut timber to pay off Soviet era loans.
After reading the article, I have decided that you took it a little out of context.
“”The fact that the North Koreans “work in a democratic country and see different working conditions” and a different way of thinking, he added, could be of benefit when they return home and “talk about how different it is.” “”
The fact that they are making headrests etc for luxury cars isn’t really the issue. How many of the things made in China are produced in ’slave’ labor style conditions? A LOT. But that’s ok, becuase Kim Jong Il is not responsible for it. When I worked as a global sourcer for a company who produced things in China for the Korean domestic market, I was pretty shocked at what I heard from some of the workers I negotiated contracts with.
“” “They probably weren’t brought against their will,” said Kay Seok, the North Korea supervisor for Human Rights Watch, in a telephone interview from Seoul. “They probably chose to go, and would choose to stay.” “”
I thought the issue was that, like Kaesong, the workers are not allowed to keep most of the meager wages they earn. As far as I know workers in other sweatshops get to keep their wages. From the article:
That, and being watched over by “translators” who often answer questions for them—and this is not on North Korean soil but in a democratic country.
Thanks for the link. I read somewhere that this exported slave labor has been going on since Kim Ilsung. Too bad the International Labour Organization never seems to address this.
Chiamatt wrote:
I did a bit. Your comments are very sound from what I have read too.
The real issue for me is that North Korea could easily run their own assembly lines and factories for these same objects instead of sending their citizens abroad. They have the people, the skills, the dedication and the ability to achieve the highest levels of quality — everything, to complete with other countries *yet* they do not build the factories for such. Instead they have resources going to build nuclear devices. It is such a lost opportunity.
I must say I’m afraid to ask what happens when North Korans are sent home after these work stints.
I guess I’m still naive despite my advanced age. I can’t help thinking that anything that exposes North Korean citizens to the outside world is ultimately going to be a good thing.
To me, there’s a big difference between what people say officially and what they think unofficially inside their own brains. Why should the North Korean workers talk to the Czech press or government? There’s nothing good in it for them. But they will talk to their family, friends, and neighbors when they go back. And that will be good.
kpmsprtd = mahathir_fan
Or Kushibo
ehdehdwn
kpmsprtd is correct — my fear expressed above is that North Korea knows this and these ladies will not be placed back among family and friends, but quarantined or worse. I’ve read that even the miserable Siberian loggers hate going back to the DPRK after they’ve tasted the relative freedom of a guarded labor camp.
Here is yet another fresh example of the same thing, this time in China.
The Chinese don’t mind since they have few morals . . .
OK, so in effect they are making $1000 per month, getting fed housed and keeping $200 per month for themselves. All their other expenses are paid and they return to North Korea relatively rich.
Apart from the fact that they are not allowed to speak or travel around Nachod of an evening (not such a great sacrifice), I fail to see how this is any different from paying income tax of 80%.
Here in rip-off Britain by the time I’ve paid for private dental care, VAT on everything I buy as well as rip off prices, 40% income tax and national insurance, school trips, £120 for a passport, £200 for a TV licence etc I am probably only slightly better off.
I’m free to speak but if I say anything really outrageous the PC police will soon be on my case.
2 Trackbacks
[...] R. Elgin in Marmot’s Hole discusses about the North Korean migrant labour conditions in Czech, who are producing luxurious car to support the North Korea’s economy. Oiwan Lam [...]
[...] You may recall my previous post (and R. Elgin’s) about the use of female North Korean slave laborers to stitch upholstery for German luxury sedans, which certainly brings back a few memories about the golden age of German business ethics. It looks like that source of income will soon come to an end, as the European Parliament is now investigating the conditions under which North Koreans labor in the Czech Republic and Poland. It expects to complete its investigation by next spring. It is estimated that the number of workers that the North Korean government sent to overseas countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, the Middle East, and Africa is anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000. Currently, 400 North Korean workers, mostly women, are staying in the Czech Republic and working in sewing factories in the suburbs of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. [...]