Economic Activities of North Korean Female Migrant Workers in China and their Influence on Persons and on North Korea
This paper examines what North Korean female migrant workers in China learn from their economic experiences, and how these activities have influenced change among the people and society in North Korea. I collected data from structured interviews of six North Korean female migrant workers, and five NGO staffs in China in 2013 and their narratives were analyzed. North Korean female immigrant workers learn the function of advertisements and the significance of information, the value of labor and employment, and the significance of trust and credit for establishing social relationships with others through their experiences in China. These lessons help to improve their capacities in economic activities and to change personal perspectives of gender, the capitalistic society, South Korea, and the home country, North Korea. Also, these experiences influence change among the people and society within North Korea. Ultimately, this suggests ways to reduce the cultural gap between North and South Korea, and to achieve national unification in the future by the strategic acts of North Korean migrant workers who straddle both China and North Korea and lead dimensional change among the people and society within North Korea.
