A North Korean worker in Laos fell to his death while repairing an elevator at the Dansavanh Hotel in central Vientiane, sources in the Lao capital told Radio Free Asia.
The accident happened on November 14 in the hotel’s casino. The source said the man was unconscious when rescuers arrived and took him to a hospital in Vientiane province’s Thoulakhom district, where he died shortly after.
“He was unconscious but still breathing,” an unnamed hospital official told Radio Free Asia’s Lao service on Thursday. “CPR was performed immediately, but he died.”
“The nationality of the dead worker was North Korea,” the official confirmed several times.
Radio Free Asia learned of the accident on November 22 from a local source, who requested anonymity for his safety. The source said there were fewer than five workers on site.
The hotel confirmed the accident to Radio Free Asia via text message on Nov. 23, saying it happened while workers were repairing an elevator.
make money for the country
North Korea sends thousands of workers to countries such as China and Russia to earn foreign exchange for the state, which collects most of their wages in the form of “loyalty money.” The rest of their earnings are often multiples of what they are expected to earn in their home country counterparts.
But since 2017, U.N. nuclear and missile sanctions have made it illegal for Pyongyang to send workers abroad, and all North Korean workers are supposed to return home by the end of 2019.
In the case of Laos, North Korea has been able to Sources told Radio Free Asia’s Korea Service that the visas designated them as official North Korean representatives. They work in restaurants, construction and information technology.
According to sources, companies in Laos make requests directly to the North Korean embassy when they need North Korean workers.
translated by someone Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Phouvong. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
