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North Korea has asked a Chinese company to pay cash in advance for North Korean workers in an apparent bid to raise the funds necessary for the upcoming congress of the ruling Workers' Party, a media report claimed Monday.
A North Korean source in China contacted Daily NK, a Seoul-based news outlet specializing in North Korea, claiming that a fishery firm in Dandong has recently remitted six months worth of wages for its North Korean laborers in advance at the strong request of Pyongyang.
Dandong is a northeastern Chinese city bordering North Korea, where many North Koreans are reportedly working at Chinese businesses or factories under poor working conditions.
The source, who declined to be identified, said cash-strapped North Korea appears to be using the remittance in preparation for the party's main event in more than 30 years scheduled for early next month. The North has yet to formally confirm a date for the event.
According to the source, some 200 North Koreans are employed at the Chinese fishery company.
"So far, each North Korean laborer used to be paid US$500 per month, whereas much of the payment went directly to the North Korean regime while an average of $150 was paid to each worker later," the source told the online news media based in Seoul.
But recently, such meager pay has triggered complaints with the source saying he heard some female workers expressing their desire to return home rather than stay in China under poor working conditions.
The Chinese firm, which signed an export contract with Japan recently, has extended daily working hours to 13 hours so as to meet the requirements of its Japanese contractor.
But the overtime work payment did not go to North Korean workers, with a portion of the payment for extra work actually going to a North Korean manager in the company who is responsible for North Korean workers there.
"Complaints are heard here and there as the North Koreans have to work from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. without break," the source said. "They are not allowed any off-day or nights out."
The North Korean workers are staying in a poor dormitory under tight control, according to the source, told Daily NK. (Yonhap)
