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North Koreans Are Sent to Work “as Slaves” in Russia: BBC
- South Korean intelligence has indicated that over 10,000 North Korean laborers have been deployed to Russia in 2024 to help alleviate critical workforce shortages resulting from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with total numbers potentially surpassing 50,000.
- This increase in North Korean workers in Russia disregards the 2019 UN sanctions that prohibit the employment of North Korean laborers overseas, with many entering the country using student visas to evade these restrictions.
- BBC interviews with escapees reveal that workers endure slave-like conditions including violent punishments, grueling 20-hour workdays, constant surveillance by North Korean agents, and squalid living quarters.
- Workers receive minimal pay, with most earnings seized by the North Korean government as loyalty fees and only $100 to $200 held for payment upon return, while Central Asian coworkers earn five times more for less labor.
- Experts predict that labor deployments will persist after the war, reflecting deepening Russia-North Korea ties and leaving worker exploitation as a lasting legacy of this alliance.
32 Articles
32 Articles
South Korea says Russia importing tens of thousands of North Korean workers
South Korean intelligence officials told the BBC that Russia is bringing in tens of thousands of North Korean laborers to offset a severe worker shortage linked to the war in Ukraine. They said more than 10,000 laborers arrived in 2024, and the total could exceed 50,000. Employers assign many workers to construction projects and place others in clothing factories and IT centers, which the United Nations says violate its 2019 ban on North Korean …
In the face of labour shortages, Russia is exploiting workers from North Korea under extreme conditions on construction sites and in factories.
Thousands of North Korean Workers Endure Brutal Forced Labor in Russia’s War Economy, BBC Reports
Thousands of North Korean workers are being sent to Russia under harsh and often brutal conditions, filling critical labor shortages exacerbated by Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The BBC spoke to several workers who have escaped, revealing the shocking reality of their lives under forced labor in Russia, as reported on August 12. Moscow has increasingly relied on North Korea for its war efforts, with Pyongyang sending missiles, artillery …
Testimonies from North Koreans who managed to escape reveal grueling hours, miserable living conditions and strict control by Pyongyang authorities.
North Korean Workers in Russia Face ‘Slave-Like’ Conditions – BBC
North Korean laborers in Russia endure “slave-like” conditions of grueling hours, meager pay and squalid housing, the BBC reported on Tuesday, citing testimonies from six escapees, researchers and South Korean intelligence sources.
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- 50% of the sources lean Left
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