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 labor abroad.

The influx comes amid closer Russia–North Korea ties, including repeated military support from Pyongyang through missiles, artillery shells and soldiers. A senior Russian official recently confirmed plans to bring in 5,000 North Koreans to help rebuild the Kursk region, and South Korean intelligence believes Russia could send some of them to areas of Ukraine under its control.

What conditions do the workers face?

BBC interviews with six escapees described punishing workdays of up to 20 hours and only two days off per year. Workers said they were confined to job sites under constant surveillance by North Korean security agents. Sleeping quarters ranged from bug-infested shipping containers to unfinished buildings sealed with tarps.

Construction laborer “Jin” told the BBC he was escorted directly from the airport to a site in Russia’s Far East and ordered not to speak to anyone. “Tae,” another escapee, said his hands would seize each morning from the previous day’s work. Others reported beatings for resting on the job and working in unsafe conditions at night with little protective equipment.

How are the workers paid?

Recruiters reportedly select workers through a strict vetting process and promise them far higher wages than they could earn at home. The North Korean government takes most of the pay as “loyalty fees,” while employers withhold the remaining $100 to $200 a month until the workers return home. Intelligence officials said the system is designed to prevent escapes.

One escapee told the BBC he earned far less than other foreign laborers and felt the sites were “a prison without bars.”

What are the risks of escape?

A handful of workers have fled using contraband smartphones purchased with small daily allowances. One escapee traveled across Russia to meet a lawyer who arranged his journey to Seoul. But activists and academics say the North Korean government has tightened controls, increasing ideological training sessions and restricting outings.

South Korean officials say the number of laborers escaping Russia and reaching Seoul has dropped from about 20 a year in 2022 to around 10 last year. Intelligence officials predict the deployments will continue even after the war, which one expert described as a lasting outcome of closer ties between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin.

“These workers will be the lasting legacy of Kim and Putin’s wartime friendship,” said Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul and a renowned expert in North Korea-Russia relations.