North Korea Sent Thousands of Workers to Russia Despite UN Sanctions, Intelligence Reports

North Korea sent thousands of workers to Russia in 2024, violating United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions prohibiting such labor exports, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).

As reported by Yonhap News Agency, Pyongyang has been sending workers to various construction sites across Russia to address labor shortages exacerbated by Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

The UNSC had banned North Korea from sending its citizens abroad for work as part of sanctions imposed in response to the country’s weapons tests. All North Korean workers were required to return home by December 2019.

According to Radio Free Asia, citing Russian Federal Statistical Service data, 13,221 North Korean citizens entered Russia in 2024—nearly 12 times more than in the previous year. Of these, 7,887 individuals claimed to have entered on educational grounds. Reports suggest that North Korea and Russia may be using student visas to circumvent the labor restrictions.

Russian media outlet Mediazona previously reported that between July and September 2024, 3,765 North Koreans entered Russia for educational purposes. In comparison, 3,200 students from North Korea were recorded in Russia throughout 2019.

Official figures from Russia’s Ministry of Education indicated that as of April 2024, approximately 130 North Korean students were enrolled in Russian universities, suggesting a discrepancy in visa allocations and actual student numbers.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian forces had again deployed North Korean soldiers in assaults in the Kursk region. During his evening address on February 7, he reported that Ukraine’s Defense Forces had eliminated hundreds of Russian and North Korean troops while repelling the attacks.