Seoul: North Korea has reportedly sent up to 100,000 workers overseas, primarily to China and Russia, with some participating in military drone manufacturing at Russian facilities, which violates United Nations sanctions. This information was revealed in an international monitoring report issued on Wednesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) indicates that North Korea continues to deploy workers abroad despite a U.N. Security Council resolution mandating the repatriation of North Korean nationals earning income in foreign jurisdictions by the end of 2019. The MSMT, formed in October 2024, was tasked with overseeing the implementation of U.N. sanctions against North Korea following the disbandment of the UNSC's 1718 Committee Panel of Experts due to Russia's veto on extending its mandate.
The MSMT includes member countries such as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Britain, and the United States. The report estimates that 35,600 to 101,280 North Korean workers remain employed overseas, mostly in China and Russia. It highlights that at least 17 countries are suspected of continuing to host these laborers, generating between $450 million and $800 million in 2025 to support North Korea's unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
The report estimates that Russia hosts between 15,000 and 30,000 North Korean workers as of late 2025. Some of these workers are reportedly involved in producing military drones, while others are disguised as students under a Russian government student visa scheme. North Korean workers in Russia reportedly earn an average of $7,500 annually, with monthly wages potentially much higher than those of their counterparts in China, depending on the industry.
China is believed to host between 20,000 and 70,000 North Korean workers. Despite the temporary repatriation of 10,000 to 20,000 workers between 2023 and 2025, around 10,000 new workers arrived in China from January 2025 to January 2026, the report states.
The MSMT estimates that North Korean workers overseas generated between $450 million and $800 million in 2025. Nearly all of these earnings are confiscated by the North Korean regime, with 80-90 percent of wages taken by Pyongyang. In some instances, the confiscated amount surpasses their actual earnings, leaving workers indebted to the government.
North Korean authorities maintain strict control over workers' movements and interactions with outsiders to prevent defections. Defecting workers risk reprisals against their families remaining in North Korea, according to the report.
The MSMT has called on all U.N. Member States to increase awareness and hold accountable those responsible for UNSCR violations through domestic actions. It urged the U.N. Security Council to reestablish the Panel of Experts with the same strength and structure it had before its disbandment, promising continued monitoring of U.N. sanctions implementation related to North Korea and exposing ongoing violations by Pyongyang and others.