North Korea Sends Female Workers to Russia Amid Allegations of Forced Labor

North Korea is allegedly sending a significant contingent of female workers to Russia, where they are reportedly enduring "state-level forced labor and slavery." This revelation comes amid ongoing reports of North Korean military aid to Russia and highlights a deepening of bilateral cooperation that disregards international sanctions.

The deployment of these workers directly contravenes UN Security Council Resolution 2375, adopted in September 2017, which explicitly banned North Korean laborers abroad from generating foreign currency for Pyongyang. The resolution aimed to cut off a key revenue stream for the North Korean regime. However, the protracted war in Ukraine has created substantial labor demands in both civilian and military sectors in Russia, leading to an expansion of labor and military cooperation between the two nations.

Images shared on X by Anton Gerashchenko, former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, show groups of North Korean female workers preparing to travel to Russia. They are reportedly employed in assembly lines, garment factories, kitchens, and farms, with initial wages advertised at approximately 480 rubles (about $6) per hour. Human rights groups have previously reported that North Korean workers abroad are under strict control by their government, with their identification documents confiscated, movement and communication restricted, and a portion of their income withheld.

Reports indicate that Russian employers must hire North Korean female workers in groups of 40 and provide separate accommodation for collective management. While labor contracts are often based on piece-rate agreements, with employers covering training costs, the workers' earnings are largely seized by the North Korean authorities. Pyongyang reportedly dispatches male supervisors to monitor the workers closely. South Korean intelligence estimates that North Korea has already secured tens of billions of dollars through its military cooperation, arms exports, and labor dispatch with Russia, significantly boosting its GDP and national income.

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Brigades of North Korean female workers are arriving in Russia.They are being employed on assembly lines, in garment factories and kitchens, and on farms, with promised wages starting at 480 rubles （$6） per hour.Human rights activists earlier reported that, from recruitment…