Teams Of Cooks And Seamstresses From North Korea Have Begun Arriving In Russia

• 10.08.2026, 17:56

The Kremlin has found a new source of cheap labor.

Teams of women from North Korea have begun arriving in Russia. An outsourcing company on the Avito classifieds site is offering Russian companies groups of 40 female workers who can be employed in assembly-line production, sewing workshops, agriculture, and work in cafes and restaurants, reports the “Ostorozhno, Novosti” channel. According to the company, North Korean workers have proven particularly skilled at making sushi rolls. The company highlights their high productivity, low turnover, and the possibility of year-round employment.

Such a team can only be hired as a whole, and the workers cannot be separated. The workers must also be provided with isolated living quarters—a separate floor or building. Employment is arranged under a contract-for-services agreement. Pay is hourly and starts at 480 rubles.

In 2025, Russian authorities issued 36,413 visas to North Korean citizens—nearly four times as many as the previous year. Most of these were issued as student visas. According to South Korean intelligence, by May 2025 there were 15,000 migrant workers from North Korea in Russia, mainly in the Far East.

The growing presence of North Korean workers raises concerns about their working conditions. A report by the human rights organization Global Rights Compliance stated that some workers on Russian construction sites worked up to 16 hours a day, had virtually no days off, and were under constant surveillance. Yoonik Kim, a researcher at the North Korean Human Rights Center (NKDB), noted that North Korean workers are subjected to repression. The DPRK authorities confiscate their documents, restrict their movement and ability to communicate, and withhold a portion of their wages.