North Korea has sent about 15 000 migrant workers to Russia, many of whom are believed to have entered the country on student visas.
South Korean intelligence presented such data to lawmakers, The Wall Street Journal reports.
In 2024, the number of North Koreans entering Russia increased 12 times compared to the previous year.
So far, they are mostly focused on the Russian Far East, but Russian industry leaders and officials express hope that more North Korean workers will soon be able to arrive in major cities, including Moscow.
The WSJ emphasizes that Russia is currently experiencing a labor shortage caused by a low birth rate, heavy losses in the war against Ukraine, and the emigration of a large number of citizens abroad.
Even with a sharp increase in the number of workers, the North Koreans will not be able to fill the labor shortage in Russia on their own. However, the Kim regime can provide significant assistance in the Russian Far East, a region bordering North Korea that Putin has long viewed as an industrial base.
- Russia is already using North Korean soldiers in the war with Ukraine — the first of them arrived at the front in October 2024, when it was about 12 thousand people. And in March 2025, North Korea sent another 3 thousand soldiers.
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