Moonlighting in the sun: Amid economic crash, North Koreans steal from office, bribe bosses to skip work

Pyongyang: The worsening economic situation in North Korea is weighing on its citizens, especially the working class. To make a bit of easy and quick money, factory workers in the country have now resorted to stealing tools, parts and other items to sell them outside. Not just this, some workers have been bribing their bosses to get permission to skip work so that they can make more money doing other jobs side-by-side. North Korea installing CCTV cameras To monitor people resorting to wrong practices for quick money and prevent the loss of office assets, authorities in North Korea have started installing security cameras, a report by Radio Free Asia quoted sources as saying. Before this, CCTV (closed-circuit television cameras) were used only in high-priority areas including busy intersections and government buildings, and almost exclusively in the capital Pyongyang. Starting March, they have now started to appear in factories and other workplaces in the country. These newly installed made in China CCTV cameras have been put is large number in Tokchon Motor Complex to keep a check on workers engaged in auto and auto-parts production facility. These cameras are running for 24 hours, the report quoted a source as saying. Imported from China, these CCTVs are used to monitor who is stealing factory materials and who is spending their working hours away from their job, the source added. For the unversed, most men in North Korea are employed in government jobs. Salary in these jobs are too little to even meet the cost of basic amenities and therefore, most people have to look for side businesses to make end meet. Now the cameras will ensure that all the employees are in office during their working hours and are not stealing equipment. “The CCTVs are installed at the main gate of each factory, and at the workplaces of each factory. The workers are uncomfortable that the cameras reveal who goes to work at what time and who chats during the work day at the daily work review session every evening,” the source was quoted as saying. The situation is similar at the Chongju Bearing Factory in the northwestern province of North Pyongan where CCTV cameras have been installed to stop theft, the report quoted another source as saying “Due to the lack of food received from rations, factory workers secretly steal bearings and material parts produced in the factory in their pockets. They will later sell them at the market to make a living," he said. A number of employees have been caught since the cameras were installed. “Now if they put even a small piece of iron in their pocket, they are disgraced publicly as a thief who steals state materials,” he said. “The workers are very unhappy about this,” the source said. Stealing of items from factories and offices is widespread in North Korea. The perpetrators do not face any severe punishment and are let go by just public criticism. But now, if the scale of the theft is large, the culprits could be punished as criminals under the law. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.