Chinese-North Korean Agreement Regarding North Korean Technical Personnel Studying in China and Chinese Technical Personnel Working in North Korea

Principal addressees:  The Industrial Production Commission of the Chinese Communist Party Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Industrial Departmentsof the Chinese Communist Party Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provincial Committees

Copies to:  The Organization Departmentof the East China Administrative Bureau

Attached is “‘The ‘Chinese-[North] Korean Agreement Regarding [North] Korean Technical Personnel Studying in China and Chinese Technical Personnel Working in [North] Korea” as conveyed in Central [Government]  Foreign Ministry Official Letter No. 54-091 of May 26.  This specially copied and conveyed [information] is provided as guidance in the work of assigning technical personnel for [the purpose of] assisting [North] Korea and the work of receiving [North] Korean trainees.  Please protect it appropriately.

The First Office of the Administrative and Economic Commission of the East China Administrative Bureau

June 4, 1954.

Confidential

Agreement of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of [North] Korea Regarding the Conditions of [North] Korean Technical Personnel Training in China and Chinese Technical Personnel Working in [North] Korea

To strengthen bilateral friendship and further develop bilateral cooperation in production technology, the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of [North] Korea specially agree to the following articles:

Article One

The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China will receive [North] Korean mechanics and technicians in appropriate Chinese production departments to carry out training in production technology; the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of [North] Korea will employ Chinese mechanics and technicians in [North] Korea to participate in economic development and assist in the training of technical personnel.

Article Two

The quota, course of training and [training] period of [North] Korean technical personnel, and the quota, sphere of work and [work] period of Chinese technical personnel will both be fixed for the following year’s annual plan by the end of December every year through discussion and agreement between the [North] Korean government and the Chinese government.  The detailed conditions regarding the training of [North] Korean technical personnel and the detailed conditions regarding the work of Chinese technical personnel will be fixed in separatecontracts to be negotiated and concluded between concerned departments of the two sides.  The trainee contract will be concluded four months prior to the start of training.  The work contract will be concluded four months prior to the start of work.

Article Three

The political conditions and health conditions of [North] Korea technical personnel and Chinese technical personnel will be inspected individually by the two sides, so that training and work can proceed smoothly.

Article Four

The training departments for [North] Korean technical personnel in China should be designated by the Chinese government. The work departments for Chinese technical personnel in [North] Korea should be designated by the [North] Korean government.

Article Five

During the training period of [North] Korean technical personnel in China, and the work period of Chinese technical personnel in [North] Korea, all laws and decrees of the host  government and all the regulations of [respective] training and work departments must be strictly followed.

Article Six

During the training period in China of [North] Korean technical personnel, training departments will provide remuneration identical to that of Chinese mechanics and technicians of the same level, including free [public] medical care, paid in Chinese currency.  Moreover, training departments will provide furnished, lighted and heated living quarters, while all other necessary expenses are to be shouldered by the trainees themselves.

Article Seven

During the work period in [North] Korea of Chinese technical personnel, work departments will provide all the said mechanics and technicians with wages equal to their original Chinese remuneration, including free [public] medical care, travel expenses and allowances. Moreover, training departments will provide furnished, lighted and heated living quarters.  Their original level of wages in Chinese currency, depending on individual and family needs, should be provided separately by [North] Korea and China in [North] Korean and Chinese currency, with the concrete method to be separately fixed in the work contract.

Article Eight

The travel expenses of [North] Korean technical personnel [incurred] in travel to China for training and in returning [to North Korea] at the end of their training period, and the  travel expenses of Chinese technical personnel [incurred] in travel to [North] Korea to work and in returning [to China] at the end of their work period, should be paid by the Chinese government [when expenses are incurred] within China and should be paid by the [North] Korean government [when expenses are incurred] within [North] Korea.  Standard travel expenses should be paid in accordance with the respective government’s fixed standards of remuneration presently in effect for payment of technical personnel.

Article Nine

The amount to be borne by the Chinese side for the expenses of Chinese technical personnel as described in Article Seven and for the travel expenses of [North] Korean technical personnel and Chinese technical personnel as described in Article Eight, will be calculated every year at year’s end by the Chinese and [North] Korean governments, and will be paid by the Chinese government in funds [allocated] for the assistance of [North] Korea.

Article Ten

Training reports written by [North] Korean trainees must be approved by training departments.

After the conclusion of the training period in China of [North] Korean technical personnel, all [trainees] will be provided by [their] training departments with training certificates attesting to special technical skills and their degree of proficiency.

After the conclusion of the work period of Chinese technical personnel in [North] Korea, all [workers] will be given a work appraisal by the work department.

Article Eleven

Starting from January 1, 1954, the conditions set out in this agreement with respect to [North] Korean technical personnel training in China will apply equally to [North] Korean technical personnel already engaged in training in China before the conclusion of this agreement.

Article Twelve

Should there be an occasion  when this agreement needs to be revised, it should be revised through negotiations between the two sides.

Article Thirteen

This agreement will go into effect from the date of signing.

Concluded in Beijing on November 23, 1953.  Provided in two versions, one in Chinese and one in Korean.  The articles in both written languages are equally authentic.

Representative of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China

(signed) Zhou Enlai

Representative of the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of [North] Korea

(signed) Nam Il