North Korean mothers sent to China struggle with years apart from their children
Married women in their mid-40s make up a growing share of the North Korean workers sent to China in 2026. Many of them left young children at home, and the long separation is taking a heavy emotional toll, according to a Daily NK source in China. In the past, Pyongyang mostly sent young, unmarried women […]
In recent years, a growing number of middle-aged North Korean mothers have been sent to work in China, straining emotionally due to the years apart from their families. Married women in their mid-40s now make up a larger proportion of those workers. The shift in who is being dispatched comes as North Korea ramps up its overseas labor force, despite UN sanctions ordering all North Korean workers home by the end of 2019.
Observers speculate the change may be due to a shortage of young, unmarried women or a deliberate policy to discourage defections, with family members serving as potential incentives to prevent workers from fleeing. Many sent abroad left their young children behind in North Korea, leading some to experience significant stress from the prolonged separation.
Written by urgent.news from Daily NK's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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