Women’s union crackdown targets home tailoring workshop in Hyesan
A women’s union crackdown in the North Korean border city of Hyesan has targeted a home-based tailoring workshop this September, with officials publicly criticizing five women for running an unregistered business and neglecting mandatory political activities. The Socialist Women’s Union of Korea is a mass organization under the Workers’ Party of Korea that enrolls married […]
In Hyesan, North Korea, a home-based tailoring workshop has come under scrutiny from the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea, a mass organization within the Workers’ Party of Korea. The union publicly criticized five women for running an unregistered business and for not engaging in mandatory political activities. The incident occurred on September 8 when officials raided a clothing workshop in Yonbong-dong, accusing the women of neglecting their organizational duties and sewing without proper state registration.
In North Korea, every citizen is required to be a member of a party-controlled group, and women in the area participate in regular ideological study and self-criticism sessions. Tailoring teams in Yonbong-dong, typically consisting of three to five women, produce clothing on order from wealthy entrepreneurs called donju. These women rely on sewing as a more stable income source than market trading.
The crackdown highlights North Korea’s stringent control over private economic activities, especially when families establish sewing equipment at home. The regime is intensifying its campaign against "anti-socialist and non-socialist" behavior, targeting unauthorized private enterprises. The surprise inspection aimed to warn members, as some women were skipping study sessions to work.
Union officials singled out one home, encouraging local frustration and frustration among women who risked further crackdowns.
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