Hunchun, China: The workers wake up each morning on metal bunk beds in fluorescent-lit Chinese dormitories, North Koreans outsourced by their government to process seafood that ends up in American stores and homes.
Privacy is forbidden. They cannot leave their compounds without permission. They must take the few steps to the factories in pairs or groups, with North Korean minders ensuring no one strays. They have no access to telephones or email. And they are paid a fraction of their salaries, while the rest - as much as 70 per cent - is taken by North Korea's government.It is one of the ways North Korea earns revenue overseas and means people buying salmon for dinner at Walmart or Aldi in the United States may inadvertently have subsidised the North Korean government as it builds its nuclear weapons program, an AP investigation has found.
Their purchases may also have supported what the United States calls "modern day slavery" - even if the jobs are highly coveted by North Koreans.At a time when North Korea faces sanctions on many exports, the government is sending tens of thousands of workers worldwide, bringing in anywhere from $US200 million to $US500 million ($257 million to 650 million) a year. That could account for a sizeable portion of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programs, which South Korea says have cost more than $US1 billion.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/north-korean-workers-in-china-prepare-salmon-for-us-diners-20171005-gyvi81.html
