Working abroad - a hidden source of financing for the North Korean regime

Working abroad - a hidden source of financing for the North Korean regime

According to the MSMT report published on Wednesday, despite the ban on employing North Koreans abroad in force since 2019, up to 100,000 of them still work outside their homeland. Most of them – from 15,000 to 30,000 – live in Russia, where some of them are employed in the production of military drones. The authorities in Moscow, in order to hide the real status of these workers, were to create a special student visa program.

According to estimates, between 20,000 and 70,000 DPRK citizens currently work in China. Although 10,000–20,000 people were temporarily sent back from there in 2023–2025, approximately 10,000 new workers from North Korea arrived in China between January 2025 and January 2026.

Millions of dollars for nuclear and missile weapons

The MSMT report leaves no doubt: "Despite the 2019 repatriation deadline under UN Security Council Resolution 2397, it is suspected that at least 17 countries continue to accept workers, generating between 450 million and 800 million US dollars in 2025 to finance North Korea's (DPRK) illicit nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

It is these funds - earned by DPRK citizens abroad - that support the budget of Kim Jong Un's regime and allow the further development of illegal military technologies, despite international sanctions.

Draconian working conditions and almost total confiscation of earnings

The conditions in which North Koreans work abroad are very difficult. The average annual earnings of a Korean worker in Russia are approximately $7,500, and the monthly salary can be up to five times higher than in China. However, the vast majority of this money goes to the Pyongyang regime.

As MSMT points out, "the Pyongyang regime confiscates up to 90 percent of foreign workers' earnings. In some cases, the amount taken by the state exceeds their actual income, putting them in debt to the regime." This means that workers not only have no chance to improve their situation, but often fall into even greater poverty.

Strict control and the threat of repression

North Korean authorities strictly control their citizens working abroad. Their every move and contact with the environment is monitored to prevent possible escapes. Deserters face severe reprisals, and in the event of escape, their families left behind in their homeland also bear collective responsibility.

MSMT – the new sanctions guardian

The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) is a body established in October 2024 by 11 countries, including the United States and South Korea. Its purpose is to monitor and report violations of sanctions set out in UN Security Council resolutions that are intended to limit the development of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

The functioning of the previous UN mechanism was vetoed by Russia.