The reality of overseas North Korean workers

A number of North Koreans are granted permission to work abroad. One such North Korean refugee escaped while abroad, arriving in South Korea a few years ago. She told her story on October 17, 2018, to a delegation of Americans visiting South Korea. Here is an extended excerpt of her remarks, with identifying details and dates deleted, posted with her permission exclusively at Voices from the North. ― ED.

Hi, my name is (name withheld), I am a student at Teach North Korean Refugees.

Imagine being bent over in a hot factory for 14 hours a day with stomach problems and back pain. That's how I started my life as an overseas worker.

Back in North Korea, I was a chef. One day, my North Korean supervisor told me I could make a lot more money working overseas. I believed her completely. So after learning how to sew, I applied for a job at a North Korean factory. After waiting for about a year, I was sent abroad to work.

When I arrived, I worked 14 hours a day. Thankfully, after two weeks our schedule changed, except for short breaks and meal times. Then I worked non-stop for 10 hours between 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

I had been promised a high salary and the opportunity to make much more if I worked hard, but I was paid only about 20 to 30 percent of the promised amount.

I trusted my supervisor but I had been lied to. I was not informed what percentage of the real salary I was getting, nor did I know what was written in my contract. I simply had no right to know any of this.

I was not paid regularly either. To pay my salary, they first needed the approval of my supervisor in North Korea who took 80 percent of my salary.

I knew I had been tricked almost as soon as I started working. But I could not go back, and I had to save whatever money I had. Even eating one banana was a luxury.

Everyone had to save money. At least one person I know got tuberculosis from lack of food. She was sent back to North Korea within six months.

But having little money, I could endure. What was intolerable, however, was having to live an isolated life simply because I was from North Korea.

Before going abroad, I underwent thorough training from the North Korean government. I was told that South Korea's National Security Agency collected all our personal information, and that it would be watching all our movements.

The regime warned me not to go out alone, because I would be kidnapped by agents from South Korea. They also warned me never to say or do anything to embarrass North Korea, and that I would be immediately sent back if I did so.

Taking a walk outside was only allowed in groups of four people or more. We were never allowed to have private conversations with foreigners.

If we violated any of these rules, we had to undergo re-education sessions.

I was walking alone one night just below my dorm. Within 10 minutes, seven people rushed out to find me, as if trying to arrest a criminal. I was very afraid. The re-education session began immediately. I had to admit each of my "crimes." I was criticized for two hours, and I had to swear in front of everyone that I would never repeat my mistake.

Later, I went out for a walk on the beach with four of my roommates. We came back at 11 p.m., but the curfew began at 10 p.m. Our re-education session went on until2 a.m. Because of my previous offense, I was branded a "security risk" and also had to admit to the crime of instigating free movements.

Except when using the restroom, we could never leave our room after 10 p.m. Even for restrooms, we always needed the permission of our room captain.

On every Friday evening, we had to attend the general assembly with our red books. People with poor job performances or who spoke to foreigners were severely criticized.

The State Security people also conducted lectures every two weeks. On North Korean national holidays, they also conducted ideological training sessions. Such sessions included watching documentaries about the Kim family and the Worker's Party.

The State Security met with us individually, because they wanted all of us to spy on each other. People with liberal personalities were especially scrutinized. The State Security wanted to know everything, checking everyone's ideological and mental state.

None of us had mobile phones. We had TVs in our rooms, but we could watch only North Korean programs.

But we could never complain. Without a positive evaluation from the State Security, we could never be sure about our safety when we return to North Korea. So we always pretended to be happy in front of the State Security people.

We were monitored 24 hours a day. Everything was controlled, and we could not trust anyone. It was truly stressful, and I even began to believe what they said; that I was a bad person, a useless human being. I really started hating myself. At that time I began to think why, why, why? Why should I live like this? Why should I be kept under guard, monitored, controlled, and isolated.

The foreigners around us took freedom for granted. But to me, freedom felt like something I could obtain only in heaven.

I had no right to walk outside alone. I had no right to hang out with my friends all night. I had no right to make friends from other countries. And I had no right to have vacations and travel to other places.

But I was living in a foreign country. And I realized that so many things I was taught back in North Korea were false. Like so many people around the globe, I was an ordinary human being who yearned for freedom.

Once I accepted my true self, I realized that I had to change the meaningless and painful direction of my life. My life was not truly my own, and I resolved to change that.

Even now, so many North Korean workers are living in the same situation across the globe. They are exploited every day, but they cannot receive any kind of legal protection. To retain the most basic standard of living, North Korean workers endure their mental anguish.

They all deserve to know the truth. And we must extend our helping hands because the North Korean workers cannot do anything even after they know the truth.

I'm not saying that I have no more difficulties in my life. But even so, I feel happy. Because those difficulties are truly my own, something only I can experience as I live my life without anyone's interference or coercion.

I firmly believe that all North Koreans should be allowed to live, smile and shed tears while living their own lives, rather than while worshipping a single dictator.

To make that happen, we desperately need your compassion and support. And I truly believe that you can become the beacon of hope for all those living in North Korea.

I would like to thank my coaches Cody, Go-Eun and Josephine who always try to help and generously support me, despite my poor English pronunciation and reading. Also, I would like to thank TNKR co-founder Casey and Eunkoo, and all TNKR volunteers for their services to North Korean refugees.

Thank you for listening to my story.

Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center along with Eunkoo Lee, is the 2017 winner of the "Social Contribution" Prize from the Hansarang Rural Cultural Foundation and the 2017 winner of the Global Award from Challenge Korea.