Restaurants overseas run by North Korea are reportedly being used for espionage and securing hard currency.
 
The Voice of America(VOA) on Tuesday quoted a North Korean who had worked at a North Korean restaurant abroad as saying that 60 to 80 percent of the customers were South Koreans.
 
The North Korean, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave an interview with the VOA stating that the restaurant employees were obligated to collect and report information on the identities and conversations of South Korean customers, especially politicians and businessmen.
The North Korean said that the State Security Department supervises and controls restaurant workers.
 
Daily sales of the specific restaurant where the source was employed reportedly tallied 15-hundred to 24-hundred U.S. dollars. The restaurant was then required to send 200-thousand dollars to North Korea every year.
 
The VOA did not disclose the location and dates of employment for the North Korean worker for safety reasons.