North Korean Labor Export to Mongolia May Increase

Radio Free Asia reported that North Korea is planning to send migrant laborers to Mongolia as a source of foreign currency flow back into the country.

North Korea has faced repeated sanctions from the international community for its continued nuclear and missile tests, and U.S. President Barack Obama has even issued a sanction on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the first time. Already considered one of the world’s poorest countries with a per capita GDP ranking of 210, the country has been struggling to find steady cash inflow.

In 2014, the Asan Institute for Policy Studies published a report that stated that North Korea sent about 53,000 laborers to 16 countries. Common destinations included China, Russia, and the Middle East. Mongolia was the fifth-most popular destination for North Korean laborers, with up to 2,000 workers being sent in.

Despite their differences in political systems, Mongolia and North Korea have enjoyed a stable friendship. It was the second state to recognize North Korea as a country and took North Korean orphans after the Korean War. In 1988, the two countries signed a Legal Assistance Agreement to develop civil society and create a legal framework for criminal justice.

“Mongolia is seeking foreign laborers to work in its mines, and it is likely that many North Korean laborers will apply for the job,” said an anonymous source working in the construction industry in Mongolia.

Most North Koreans are limited to manual labor when they are working abroad, most commonly in construction, factories, and mines. While a typical North Korean may earn about $700 a month, the government seizes a significant portion of the paycheck and leaves the worker with about $150 to $200.

At its peak in 2013, Mongolia employed about 5,000 North Korean workers, but that number has decreased to about 1,000 today.