North Korean people are often forced into unpaid labor. In 2021 the nation started building a wall at the border with China in its Ryanggang province to prevent the smuggling of goods, as well as the spread of COVID-19. North Korea wanted the wall to be finished by 10 October 2022, the anniversary of its Party Founding Day.

It's not clear whether the nation achieved this deadline but we do know that it expanded its workforce beyond military and youth personnel to include married women aged from 20 to 60, according to Radio Free Asia. The women were expected to make 10 cement blocks per day. While forced labor is common in North Korea, it's been reported that on this occasion there was some backlash as frail, older women were conscripted to do the physical work.

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