Up to 100,000 North Korean Overseas Workers... $800 Million in Revenue Last Year

MSMT of 11 Countries Including the US, South Korea, and Japan Releases Report on North Korean Overseas Workers

North Korea Seizes 80-90% of Overseas Workers' Wages... Some Deployed in Russian Military Drone Production

Despite United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea, it has been found that North Korea dispatched up to 100,000 workers to over 17 countries and earned up to 800 million dollars (approximately 1.07 trillion won) in revenue as of last year. Most of these workers were sent to China and Russia. It has also been confirmed that the Russian government revised domestic laws to allow North Korean workers to engage in revenue-generating activities even on student visas, thereby providing institutional support for their local employment.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the Chonsong Youth Coal Mine of the Pyongannam-do Sunchon District Youth Coal Mine Union Enterprise on the 15th and cast his vote for the deputy candidate Jo Cheolho at the polling station of Constituency No. 48, District No. 150, for the Supreme People's Assembly election. He also encouraged the mine workers, according to KCNA. March 16, 2026 Yonhap News Agency

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Multinational Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) published a report on the 16th titled "Violations and Evasion of United Nations Security Council Resolutions by Dispatching Overseas North Korean Workers." This is the MSMT's third report, following its reports last May on military cooperation between North Korea and Russia and North Korea's cyber activities in October.

According to the report, the number of North Korean workers residing overseas is estimated to be between 35,600 and 101,280. In 2025 alone, they generated between 450 million and 800 million dollars (approximately 600 billion to 1.07 trillion won) in revenue. Most of these workers are in China and Russia, engaged mainly in the construction, manufacturing, fisheries, information technology (IT), medical, restaurant, and defense industries.

As of the end of last year, the number of North Korean workers in Russia was estimated to be between 15,000 and 30,000. This number has surged since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. Some of these workers are reportedly employed at the Geran-2 drone factory, other weapons factories, steel processing facilities, and shipbuilding complexes in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia.

In particular, most North Korean workers entered Russia on student visas and were then dispatched to construction, agriculture and livestock, and logging sites, disguised as field trainees. Among the visas Russia issued to North Koreans last year, more than 98% were student visas, and the annual income of a North Korean worker in Russia was estimated to average about 7,500 dollars.

It is estimated that about 20,000 to 70,000 North Korean workers are residing in China. While 10,000 to 20,000 returned to North Korea between 2023 and 2025, about 10,000 newly entered China from January 2025 through January this year. These workers mainly engaged in labor-intensive fields such as simple manufacturing or in the IT sector, especially near the North Korea-China border in Liaoning and Jilin provinces. North Korea reportedly disguised IT personnel as ordinary laborers affiliated with trade or garment processing companies to evade Chinese government crackdowns.

According to the report, the dispatch of workers was led by major North Korean agencies such as the Ministry of External Economic Relations, Reconnaissance General Bureau, and Office 39, with intermediary agencies in China and Russia providing support. A significant portion of the income generated by these overseas workers was used by North Korean trading companies located in China and Russia to procure military supplies, with some funds remitted back to North Korea. In this process, entities under UN sanctions such as the Korea Kwangson Banking Corp. and the Korea Kumgang Bank were utilized, and there were also cases where cash was transported via diplomatic vehicles, diplomatic pouches, or traveling officials. The report stated that North Korean authorities confiscated 80 to 90 percent of workers' wages, and in some cases, the amount confiscated exceeded the workers' actual income, leading some to become indebted to the North Korean authorities.

In addition, several hundred North Korean workers are reportedly employed in the medical, construction, IT, and manufacturing sectors across 10 African countries. North Korean workers have also been found to be active in Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, as well as in Central Asian countries like Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2375 and 2397 prohibit the new employment of North Korean workers and require all countries to repatriate North Korean workers within their territories by 2019.

In a joint statement on the same day, the MSMT participating countries stated, "(Overseas North Korean workers) generated at least 450 million dollars and up to 800 million dollars in revenue during 2025, providing funds for North Korea's illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programs," adding, "We encourage all United Nations member states to raise awareness and hold violators and facilitators of United Nations Security Council resolutions accountable, including through domestic measures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.