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The legal and illegal jobs ordinary North Koreans do to survive

Working lives in the Hermit Kingdom
Job discrimination
Dead-end jobs
Special treatment
Official regulations
Military service first
Farmers
Street sweepers
Factory workers
Hairdressers
Teachers
Traffic ladies
Foreign factory workers
Slave labour
Death camps
Desirable jobs
Taxi drivers
Military
Science roles
Bureau 121
Diplomatic posts
Gender pay gap
Black market boom
Jangmadang
Meth-dealing
Illegal exports
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Ed Jones/Getty

Working lives in the Hermit Kingdom

If you've ever found yourself feeling fed up with work, you might want to thank your lucky stars you don't live in North Korea. The country's typical worker is trapped in the same job for life, takes home just a few hundred dollars a month – or even a year, in some cases – and has to grapple with everything from extreme discrimination to rampant corruption. Read on as we look at the closely-guarded secrets of North Korea's employment market, and uncover the jobs people really do to survive. All dollar values in US dollars.

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lovemoney staff

06 December 2021

Features

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