Thousands of North Korean labourers were sent to work on Russian construction sites last year amid Russia’s acute labour shortage, South Korean news agency Yonhap reports, citing South Korea’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service.
That’s in addition to the 11,000 North Korean troops reported to have been sent to fight Ukrainians occupying Russia’s Kursk region in November.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), official Russian data shows that 13,221 North Koreans entered Russia in 2024, up to 12 times the number recorded in 2023.
The ISW noted that if North Korean workers in Russia are earning money for themselves or their state, Russia is violating UN Security Council Resolution 2397, which prohibits North Korea from sending its citizens abroad for work.
Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council, and voted for Resolution 2397 in 2017 in response to North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
The ISW said Russia may try getting around that by issuing student visas, noting reports of record-breaking numbers of North Koreans entering Russia with them.
1.5 million vacancies
Russia faces an acute labour shortage as companies, including military industrial enterprises, compete with the army for recruits against the backdrop of high casualty rates in the war and a declining population.
Citing Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the ISW estimates that Russia needs 1.5 million people to fill jobs, of which 400,000 are in construction.
High inflation – 9.5% in December – is helping drive up wages.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development, wages in Russia grew by a record 9.2% last year, up from 8.2% in 2023.
The ministry expected the unemployment rate for 2024 to be just 2.6%.
The ISW said Russian companies are likely not paying North Korean workers the same salaries as Russian citizens, bringing relief to companies with soaring wage bills.
- Subscribe here to get stories about construction around the world in your inbox three times a week
Further Reading:
