North Korea’s aggressive expansion of aquaculture operations has created a system of labor exploitation along the country’s west coast, where workers assigned to collect shellfish work full days but receive only a fraction of their promised wages.
Since shellfish season began in December, authorities have mobilized large numbers of residents in Ongjin county, South Hwanghae province, to work at coastal shellfish farms. Workers gather as much as 30 kilograms of clams per day, according to a source in the province who spoke with Daily NK recently.
Most workers mobilized for clam collection are farm and factory employees living within a 10-kilometer radius of the coastal shellfish farms.
These workers lose half their wages to their regular employers, who argue they deserve a cut since the clam collection occurs during ordinary work hours. The practice has led locals to dub the workers “clam-gathering serfs.”
Workers collect only clams at least three centimeters in diameter. They receive around 300–600 North Korean won ($0.02–$0.04) per kilogram of acceptable clams.
With rice currently costing 15,000–16,000 won ($0.94–$1.00) per kilogram at North Korean marketplaces, clam gatherers would need to collect 50 kilograms daily to earn enough for one kilogram of rice.
Workers hide clams to supplement income
“To receive decent wages, you have to roam through the mudflats all day long. Since the clam gatherers are expected to hand over half their wages for a day’s work, they’re pocketing some of the clams for themselves,” the source said.
“Since stolen clams are worth more than their daily wages, people brought in to the shellfish farms are more concerned about how many clams they can hide than how many they can gather,” the source added.
Many workers conceal clams inside their clothes or hide them in secret caches on the shore. Farm managers have responded by stepping up surveillance on temporary workers.
“Soldiers have been brought in to prevent shrinkage at shellfish farms around Ongjin county, including Chongunsan, Maebong and Baekho. After shellfish gathering is over for the day, the soldiers even pat down the workers. Locals have taken to complaining that the soldiers are as bad as Japanese patrolmen were during the colonial occupation,” the source said.
“Workers keep squirreling away clams, and monitors keep searching the workers. It’s a highly competitive game of hide and seek, though the stakes are meager.”
Despite the surveillance and wage garnishment, locals do not shirk clam gathering assignments. In poor coastal villages, shellfish season represents a rare opportunity to boost income.
“Shellfish season is one of the few times when families on the coast have some money to spare. So despite the humiliation of being patted down and hiding clams when nobody is watching, people in the area still agree that the job is worth doing,” the source said.
A Note to Readers
Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media, satellite imagery, or defector accounts from years past, our journalism comes directly from people currently living under the regime.
We verify reports through multiple independent sources and cross-reference details before publication. Our sources remain anonymous because contact with foreign media is treated as a capital offense in North Korea—discovery means imprisonment or execution.
This network-based approach allows Daily NK to report on developments other outlets cannot access: market trends, policy implementation, public sentiment, and daily realities that never appear in official narratives. Maintaining these secure communication channels and protecting source identities requires specialized protocols and constant vigilance.
Daily NK serves as a bridge between North Koreans and the outside world, documenting what’s happening inside one of the world’s most closed societies.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: dailynk.com
