North Korea is completing the selection process for workers to be dispatched to China, according to sources inside the country. Those chosen will undergo final reviews in Pyongyang this month before expected deployment to China around mid-June.
“Selection of workers for dispatch to China has been underway at institutions and enterprises across various provinces since February,” a source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK recently. “Those selected at the provincial level will travel to Pyongyang this month for final review.”
North Korean authorities plan to gather the provincially selected workers in Pyongyang for health examinations and training sessions before their deployment, the source said.
The selected candidates are primarily in their 20s and 30s and have already passed ideological screenings and background checks conducted by provincial party committees. These evaluations thoroughly examined candidates’ ideological soundness, loyalty to the party, political background and any history of legal penalties.
According to the source, about 100 young people from Chongjin in North Hamgyong province who passed the provincial party committee’s review are currently awaiting their trip to Pyongyang. They remain in a state of tension, having been instructed to avoid causing problems and to faithfully participate in organizational activities until their departure.
“These workers will undergo health examinations and ideological education in Pyongyang for about a month, and those who pass the document screening will be immediately dispatched to China,” the source said. “However, some fail the document screening, which is why tension remains high.”
In Hyesan, Ryanggang province, about 80 candidates have been selected and are also prepared to travel to Pyongyang, according to another source.
“If they receive final approval in Pyongyang, they will complete training and head to China next month,” the Ryanggang province source said. “But if they fail the central review, they must return home, so they’re waiting in considerable tension.”
Bribery seems to have played a significant role in the selection process. Some unemployed young people allegedly rushed to secure workplace registrations through bribes to labor department officials after hearing about the recruitment opportunity.
“To go to China, one must be affiliated with a workplace. When the opportunity to go abroad arose, some unemployed youth hurriedly paid bribes to city labor department officials to register with workplaces,” the source explained. “This naturally pushed out young people who were actually employed but couldn’t afford bribes.”
Even those with acceptable family backgrounds often failed to be selected without paying bribes, forcing some to borrow money to provide payments, the source said.
The actual departure date remains subject to change. “Although mid-June is the current scheduled departure, we’ll have to see if they actually leave then,” the source noted. “In the past, dispatches have been delayed by several months, so this year’s schedule could also change.”
