Around 3000 North Koreans in Qatar

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)

DOHA: There are an estimated 3000 North Koreans in Qatar and nearly all of them are engaged in the booming local construction industry.

This number represents nearly half or 40 percent of the total number of North Koreans working in the Gulf region.

North Korea’s embassy is located in Kuwait which caters to the entire region. From Kuwait there are direct flights to Pyongyang North Korea’scapital city.

“We understand that outside of Qatar there are fellow North Koreans only in the UAE Kuwait and perhaps Oman” a North Korean told .

In remarks last week the Korean who works as a supervisor with CDC (Construction Development Company) here told this newspaper that his compatriots began coming to Qatar some 12 to 13 years ago.

That was when construction activity was picking up here ahead of the 2006 Asian Games. The number has gradually multiplied.

The Korean who preferred to remain anonymous said the demand for semi-skilled construction hands from his country was growing fast in Qatar.

“We get too many enquiries. North Koreans are supposed to be very efficient and proficient construction workers.”

He said that North Koreans have been involved in many key construction projects in Qatar and when the structural work of a 60-storey hotel project was completed in just a year people were in for a pleasant surprise.

“That was a marvel incredible at that” said the North Korean. That is just one example. There are several such which have made North Korean construction workers an enviable lot in Qatar where the construction industry has been booming thanks to the 2022-linked mega

development projects.

Among the North Korean workers here are mostly steel fixers masons carpenters and others and their monthly pay packets on average range between QR2500 and QR8500 a month.

There are senior workers as well and some may be paid as much as QR16000 but such employees are few.

Asked about allegations that companies employing North Koreans in Qatar and elsewhere in the Gulf pay their salaries to the government in Pyongyang and not directly to them the Korean said that was not true.

“Our salaries are transferred by our employers directly to our bank accounts” he said.

When prodded however he added that on their own volition they pay a portion of their wages to the North Korean government.

This is because everything from housing to education to health services are provided free by the North Korean government.

“We are a socialist country” said the Korean. He said 12 years of education is compulsory for every North Korean and it is free.

He wondered why there is no hue and cry when people in the West or other countries are made to pay heavy taxes even though these countries provide no free services to their nationals.

The North Korean didn’t comment when told that once the mandatory online wage payment system called the Wage Protection System (WPS) becomes effective for all workers in Qatar from November 3 the controversy about North Koreans not being paid their wages would die down.

The Korean though said he welcomed the launch of WPS and said much of what is written in the local media about North Koreans from time to time is western propaganda.

He said that a section of the local media has carried baseless articles on North Korean workers in Qatar saying that his company CDC had given marching orders to all its North Korean employees — some 200 at that.

The truth was that there were 190 North Korean workers in this company and 90 of them were allowed to go home since the company had finished several projects and there wasn’t much work left he said.

“CDC told these workers that it will allow them to work elsewhere in Qatar if they chose to come back” said the Korean. “The company had absolutely no problem with these 90 workers.”

Then some three more workers left for personal reasons. So the total number of North Koreans left with CDC was 97.

“A little later however the company transferred 50 more workers to another company. We were just 47 North Koreans left in the company.”

However a section of the local media reported that CDC had terminated all 200 of its North Korean workers rather en masse.

The media organisation influenced by a world-famous American media house didn’t even bother to talk to CDC and seek its version said the Korean.

He said he had contacted the Doha-based media organisation for clarification and they apologised to him.