North Korean workers arrested in Russia after fighting with locals

As Daily NK learned, several North Korean workers in Russia were arrested by police after they got into an altercation with a group of locals.

A source in Russia, who wished to remain anonymous, told Daily NK on Monday that a scuffle involving Russians had broken out at a restaurant in the Primorye region of Russia's Far East.

The three North Koreans are military construction workers and part of a relatively small group of less than ten people. After finishing their work for the day, they stopped at a local restaurant for something to eat and drink.

Experienced workers are sometimes allowed to visit local restaurants in small groups if they finish work early.

The North Koreans took their seats in the restaurant, but 40 minutes passed without a waiter coming by.

The Russian waiters joked with the local guests and took their orders immediately, but ignored the North Koreans' attempts to wave them over.

The North Korean employees were fed up and began to complain to the Russian waiters in their own language. “Why are you racist to us? We are only human. Why don't you take our orders?”

The Russian waiters initially downplayed the situation and said that they had wanted to take the North Koreans' orders only after they had served the other customers.

But when the North Korean workers refused to lower their voices, the waiters lost their composure. “If you are here to make money, you should stay at your job and then leave. Why are you making a scene in a foreign country? Go back to your country immediately,” said one.

As the mood in the restaurant grew darker, other Russians present sided with the waiters, and eventually a brawl broke out between the angry North Koreans and the Russians. The brawl continued until Russian police were called to the scene.

“North Korean workers occasionally get into fights with Russians because they are constantly confronted with disrespect there,” the source said. “When North Korean workers are at a disadvantage, they tend to throw nearby objects at their opponents, but fortunately this time they did not throw cutlery.”

The North Korean workers were arrested by police and released on bail of about 200,000 rubles ($2,186).

The North Korean trading company that manages the workers took disciplinary action against them after their release, the source said.

“The company has hired the troublemakers to pour concrete, which is the hardest work in construction. The workers are also forced to work without pay until they pay the bond the company has put up for them.”

Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.

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