To make up for the huge labor shortage caused by the war, thousands of North Koreans have been sent to work in Russia, and they describes the working conditions as slavery, writes BBC.
Moscow has repeatedly turned to Pyongyang for help to continue the war in Ukraine, using the communist regime’s missiles, artillery and soldiers. South Korean intelligence officials told the BBC that now that a large number of Russian men have died or continue to fight (or have fled the country), Moscow is increasingly relying on labor from North Korea.
North Korean workers who have fled Russia said BBC that working conditions are unbearable, and the North Korean authorities strictly control the workers to prevent them from leaving.
One of the workers, Jin, said that after landing in the Russian Far East, he was escorted to his workplace by a North Korean security officer who did not allow him to speak or look around. The agent allegedly told him that the outside world was their enemy. Jin was immediately put to work building a multi-storey building, working more than 18 hours a day. All the workers interviewed by the BBC spoke of inhumanly long days – starting at six in the morning and finishing at two in the next morning;
the workers were only given two days off a year.
Tae, who managed to leave Russia last year, said that waking up was terrible, knowing that the same thing would happen again. His hands were cramped in the morning from the previous day’s work. Chan said that sometimes workers would leave their places to take a nap or fall asleep standing up, but supervisors would find them and beat them.
A South Korean professor who has traveled to Russia several times to interview workers said the conditions were inhumane and dangerous. The lights were turned off at night, and work was done in the dark, with virtually no safety equipment.
The defectors said the workers were kept at construction sites day and night, watched by North Korean agents. They slept in overcrowded shipping containers infested with fleas and bedbugs, or in unfinished apartments. North Korean Nam once fell four meters and “smashed his face,” but even then, guards wouldn’t let him leave the site to go to the hospital.
Tens of thousands of North Koreans used to work in Russia, earning millions of euros for the North Korean regime. In 2019,
the UN banned member states from using North Korean labor
in an attempt to reduce funding for the regime. Most North Koreans returned home.
Last year, according to South Korean intelligence, more than 10,000 workers were sent to Russia. An intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC that a total of around 50,000 North Koreans would be sent to Russia, meaning they are now spread across the country. Most are working in construction, but some are also working in garment factories and IT centres. This is in breach of UN sanctions.
In June, Moscow finally admitted that 5,000 North Koreans would be sent to Kursk to help rebuild the war-torn region. A South Korean official said it was highly likely that North Koreans would also be sent to construction sites in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
North Korea values the opportunity to work in construction abroad, as it can earn much more than on the ground. Most workers hope to escape poverty, buy a home for their families or start their own businesses upon their return. Only the most reliable men are selected after careful screening, and the families must remain in North Korea. But most of the earnings are sent directly to North Korea, and the worker is left with a monthly allowance of the equivalent of 100 to 200 dollars. The workers only receive this when they return home, a strategy that experts say has been introduced recently to prevent desertions.
The discovery that the working conditions are harsh and the pay is almost nonexistent can be devastating.
Tae recalled feeling humiliated when he realized that other workers from Central Asian countries were being paid five times more for three times less work. He said it felt like a labor camp, like a prison without bars.
Jin shuddered as he recalled how other workers called North Koreans slaves. Then Jin’s supervisor told him that he might not get paid at all when he returned home because the country needed the money. That’s when he decided to risk his life and escape. Tae was inspired to flee by a YouTube video that showed him how much workers in South Korea earn.
In recent years, a small number of workers have managed to escape using banned second-hand smartphones, bought with the small sums of money they are given to buy cigarettes and alcohol. Several sources told the BBC that to prevent such cases, North Korean authorities are taking away the already limited freedoms of workers. One method is more frequent ideological training.
Until now, the rare opportunities to leave construction sites have also been banned. Workers were allowed to leave the site together once a month, but now there is almost no such opportunity. Workers used to be allowed to leave in pairs, but since 2023 – only in groups of five or more, and everyone is closely monitored.
Read also: North Korea sends workers to rebuild Kursk region