Kim Jong Un’s Latest Gift to Russia Is Migrant Workers

A lack of workers ranks among Putin's biggest problems—one created by the country’s sliding birthrate and exacerbated by the war.

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Hundreds of thousands of Russians have died in the fighting, according to Western estimates, and countless others have fled the country.The shortfall could swell to 2.4 million by 2030, according to Russia's Labor Ministry, from 1.5 million today.

Now, North Korean laborers are pouring into Russia, prized by local employers for their low wages and willingness to work 12-hour days without complaint.

North Korea has dispatched around 15,000 workers to Russia, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Wednesday. Many are believed to have entered the country on student visas. In 2024, the number of North Koreans entering Russia jumped 12-fold from the prior year, according to Moscow figures.For now, they are largely confined to Russia's Far East, but Russian industry leaders and officials have expressed a hope that more North Korean workers could soon arrive in major cities, including Moscow. The United Nations Security Council bars the use of overseas North Korean migrant workers.