A large scale North Korean worker deployment has begun through the border city of Dandong. Approximately 200 workers departed Sinuiju by bus on the morning of April 12. They crossed the Yalu River into China’s Liaoning province. Between April 12 and 16, an estimated 100 to 200 workers crossed each day. Consequently, the five day total reached roughly 1,000 people entering China.
The workers have received assignments at clothing factories in Liaoning province. They will also work at food processing plants and seafood facilities. The source stated that hundreds may continue entering China daily for another month. Therefore, the total influx could become much larger in coming weeks.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397 explicitly prohibits this deployment. The resolution passed in 2017 after North Korea’s ICBM tests. It requires all member states to repatriate North Korean overseas workers. The COVID pandemic subsequently reinforced North Korea’s border closures. Nevertheless, workers have now resumed crossing in large groups. Small scale entries continued through informal channels previously. However, several hundred arrivals on consecutive days has no precedent.
The workers did not enter on formal labor visas. Most have entered on short stay visitor visas instead. Some have come as industrial trainees for vocational purposes. On paper, they appear as short term visitors or students. The source called this a deliberate strategy to avoid sanctions violations.
Several factors explain the timing of this influx. Passenger train and air services between both countries resumed last month. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Pyongyang on April 9 and 10. He met with Kim Jong Un during that two day visit. Analysts interpret this meeting as a sign of substantive cooperation. Bilateral ties have moved beyond mere diplomatic gestures.
Most factories in Dandong want North Korean workers for low cost labor. The total number could reach around 10,000 within two to three months. North Korea’s overseas labor program has long provided hard currency. Workers dispatch primarily to China and Russia for employment. Human rights organizations have documented coercive working conditions. A substantial share of worker earnings goes directly to the state. Therefore, this deployment serves both economic and political purposes for Pyongyang.
