(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



Serious Unrest Among North Korean Workers in China? [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2024-01-29  

Interesting story from the Korea Times today about potentially serious labor unrest among North Koreans working in China:

North Korean official killed by protesters in China

At least one North Korean government official was killed and three others were seriously injured in China after a series of protests by North Korean workers there earlier this month, an expert at a state-funded think tank claimed on Monday, citing multiple sources.

...

According to Cho Han-bum, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute of National Unification, a North Korean official who had been sent to Helong in China’s northeastern province of Jilin to oversee workers at garment factories there died after violent protests erupted between Jan. 11 and 15. They were reportedly infuriated by the fact that their salaries paid for years had been sent to the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang without their consent or knowledge, he said.

This claim comes after Ko Young-hwan, a former North Korean diplomat, said he was told by his sources in the region that thousands of North Koreans working at clothing factories and fisheries processing plants held protests demanding the payment of overdue wages.

According to Cho and Ko, the workers agreed to end their protest after the party assured them that they would receive their back wages.

If true, it was the first known display of organized defiance against the regime, which would have profound ramifications for the country and beyond.

…

Most North Korean workers sent overseas are from privileged families in Pyongyang. This presents an unprecedented political challenge to Kim Jong-un, the North's 40-year-old ruler, Cho said.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/1/29/2220233/-Serious-Unrest-Among-North-Korean-Workers-in-China?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/