North Korea is a mystery to most people. The country, under its leader Kim Jong-un, is not a place you would typically go for vacation, unlike its neighbor, South Korea. The government is very strict, and their treatment towards foreign relations is not what you would say warm and affectionate.
The disparity between the elite and the poor in North Korea is also common, and even though to some visitors, the mysterious country of North Korea boast of world-class facilities and high standards of living, it is also known that to maintain this prestigious status, the government uses forced labor from the lower classes in society, with the majority of workers being children and old people.
The NBC recently showed a video footage where thousands of North Korean workers are working under freezing conditions to clear the mountain roads leading up to Masikryong ski resort. Majority of these workers are children, their ages ranging from 10-11 years old.
The video showed the workers crouched and clearing snow from the roads while dressed in poorly made winter clothes. And unlike most ski resorts around the world, the footage showed that the workers were using hard labor tools like axes, sticks rather than snowplows and other modern tools.
It was announced in 2013 that North Korea would host the 2018 Winter Olympics, and it seems that all the hard work done by child laborers to keep the world-class reputation of the ski resort is Kim Jong-un's initiative to get ready for the upcoming event.
Masikryong ski resort is 3 hours away from Pyeongyang. Frequented only by high-ranking government officials and the country's elite, the ski resort is said to boast world-class facilities, with amenities including "a ski school, 10 pistes for skiers and snowboarders, swimming pool and sauna, massage room, beauty parlour, billiards room, restaurants and an ice-skating rink", according to news.com.
Child labor is condemned in most countries, but in North Korea, it is apparently necessary and not frowned upon to let the poor kids work in hard and terrible conditions. The world has not yet fully uncovered all the secrets of the mysterious North Korea, but its terrible regime and treatment to its citizen give us insights that living there has a price.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
