Up to 100,000 North Korean workers overseas in 17 countries, reports multilateral sanctions monitoring team

On the 16th, the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), which monitors the implementation of the United Nations Security Council's resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea, released a report on overseas workers in North Korea. It said it sent an estimated 35,600 to 101,280 workers to at least 17 countries, with the majority concentrated in China and Russia.

According to the report, the revenue earned in 2025 is estimated to be between $450 million and $800 million (70 billion to 124 billion yen). It is believed that 80 to 90 percent of their wages were confiscated by the North Korean authorities and used as a source of funds for nuclear and missile development.

In China, between 20,000 and 70,000 people work in manufacturing, construction, IT, food and beverage, etc., mainly in the geographically close northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. Approximately 10,000 people newly entered the country between January 2025 and January 2026.

Analysis suggests that between 15,000 and 30,000 people have been dispatched to Russia and are also involved in manufacturing military drones. He explained that there is a system in place to disguise workers as students.

In addition, 10 to several hundred people are working in 15 countries in Southeast Asia and Africa. Security Council resolutions require member states to repatriate North Korean workers within their borders, and the report called for immediate implementation.