Over 50,000 North Korean laborers are being dispatched to Russia under extremely harsh conditions following the need for manpower amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Interviews reveal grim working environments, with reports of human rights abuses and significant restrictions on freedom.
North Korean Workers Face Harsh Realities in Russia Amidst Labor Shortages
North Korean Workers Face Harsh Realities in Russia Amidst Labor Shortages
Abysmal working conditions reported as North Koreans are sent to Russia to alleviate labor deficits due to the Ukraine conflict, raising human rights concerns.
Thousands of North Koreans are reportedly being sent to work in Russia under conditions described as slave-like, as the country grapples with a severe labor shortage exacerbated by its ongoing conflict in Ukraine. According to sources, as many as 50,000 North Koreans are expected to be dispatched, with current reports indicating that more than 10,000 workers have already arrived this year alone.
The BBC has conducted interviews with several North Korean laborers who managed to escape, revealing shocking accounts of "abysmal" work conditions, where they are forced to endure punishing hours, often working 18-hour shifts with only two days off each year. One worker, Jin, recalled the traumatic experience of arriving in Russia, chaperoned by a North Korean security agent who ordered him to avoid contact with the outside world.
Another worker, Tae, described his dread of reliving the same harrowing work day, where he often felt exhausted to the point of paralysis. Workers are reported to live in overcrowded, unsafe conditions on construction sites under constant surveillance by North Korean agents, with precious few resources and limited health care. Accounts indicate that the laborers sleep in makeshift accommodations, facing unsanitary living conditions.
The United Nations had previously restricted North Korean labor exports in 2019 to cut off funding for Kim Jong Un’s regime, but reports now suggest that Pyongyang is defying these sanctions by sending thousands of workers to fill jobs vital to Russia’s war efforts. With most of their earnings remitted back to the North Korean government, these laborers often find themselves trapped in a cycle of exploitation.
Experts have underscored the potential long-term implications of this arrangement, indicating that the North Korean workers in Russia may become emblematic of the alliance between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. The situation continues to evolve, with growing concerns over human rights conditions for laborers who now face increased restrictions to prevent escapes as the North Korean regime ramps up ideological control over their workers.
