NK News report… Attention in North Korea-Russia close relationship
NK News, a North Korea specialist, reported on the 23rd (local time) that the number of North Koreans entering Russia has increased rapidly while North Korea and Russia are moving closer together.
Citing data from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the media reported that 365 North Koreans entered Russia in the third quarter of last year.
Of the 365 people, business purposes were the most common (253). Next, there were 24 people for educational purposes, 23 people for personal purposes, 23 people for vehicle maintenance purposes, and 3 people for ‘work’ purposes.
NK News pointed out that this is a sharp increase compared to 213 people in the second quarter and 153 people in the first quarter. In 2022, only 223 North Koreans entered Russia annually.
Of the 365 people, 213 entered Russia by air. Direct flights between Pyongyang, North Korea, and Vladivostok, Russia have resumed. 134 people entered the country using a train bound for Russia. 31 people entered the country by vehicle, 13 on foot, and another 13 by water.
Experts believed that there were likely three or more North Koreans who entered Russia for work purposes.
Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University, said the number of North Korean workers who entered Russia in the third quarter of last year was likely in the hundreds, but pointed out that the economic significance was not significant.
Security Council Resolution 2397 on sanctions against North Korea, adopted in December 2017, stipulated that all North Korean workers earning income in UN member countries be repatriated within 24 months, but China and Russia have been avoiding their repatriation obligations.
Professor Lankov predicted that, although it is not revealed in the data, North Korean workers will return to Russia within one to two years.
Recently, NK News reported that dozens of North Korean workers were working at a construction site in Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East.
Local Russian authorities have recently signaled that they want to procure thousands of North Korean workers for construction projects in Siberia as they have suffered from a labor shortage.
The Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) are also known to have discussed the possibility of using North Korean workers to restore infrastructure in war-torn regions.
According to the FSB, the number of Russians who entered North Korea was 544 in the third quarter of last year, a significant increase from 222 in the first half of last year. Of the 544, 196 were for business purposes.
Professor Lankov analyzed that North Korea and Russia are “trying to establish trade contacts.” However, it was predicted that it would be difficult to gain momentum due to the incompatibility between the North Korean and Russian economies.
Meanwhile, North Korea and Russia have recently been showing off their close cooperation.
North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hee visited Russia from the 14th to the 18th and welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is expected that President Putin’s visit to North Korea was also discussed at this time.
Although North Korea and Russia deny it, the international community continues to raise suspicions that Russia, which invaded Ukraine, received weapons from North Korea.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.