North Korean laborers in Russia endure inhumane, bondage-like treatment, according to a startling revelation
In a concerning development, North Koreans living and working in Russia are reportedly subjected to harsh and oppressive conditions, reminiscent of "slave-like" treatment.
According to reports, these workers endure grueling work schedules of approximately 18 hours per day, from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m., with only two days off per year. Their living conditions are squalid, often confined to cramped shipping containers under constant surveillance by North Korean state security agents to prevent defections. Workers are usually allowed outside only once a month, and only in small monitored groups.
Despite promises of higher wages than in North Korea, most of their pay is seized by the North Korean government as "loyalty fees," leaving them between $100 to $200 monthly, which they generally receive only upon returning home[1][3][5].
This labor deployment in Russia violates United Nations Security Council sanctions that ban the hiring of North Korean workers abroad due to concerns that the regime seizes their earnings. However, the number of North Korean laborers in Russia is reportedly increasing, possibly reaching 50,000 by the end of 2025, despite the sanctions[1][3]. They primarily work in Russia's construction sector, fulfilling critical labor shortages exacerbated by the ongoing Ukraine war and Russian domestic workforce deficits[3][5].
Experts describe the North Koreans as cheap, hard-working, and less likely to cause trouble, making them a "perfect solution" for Russia’s labor shortage but at the cost of severe exploitation and poor safety conditions[3][5].
Meanwhile, in other news, a major 'No Kings Day' protest is brewing, Elon Musk has made a comment about America Party focusing on rockets, and there is a controversy over transgender athletes regarding fairness in sports competitions.
In Israel, there has been a reported bombing of Syria, but the reasons and details of the conflict are not specified in the article. Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad is being criticized as 'Nazi propaganda' by some people, and there is a call for probing Biden's autopen use. The widow of a Hamas chief has been smuggled out of Gaza with a large sum of cash.
And in a lighter note, a Brooklyn rental has been transformed from drab to fab in less than a day.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/russia-deploys-north-korean-workers-ukraine-as-sanctions-bite-2022-03-09/ [3] https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/russian-city-perm-says-plans-hire-north-korean-workers-despite-un-ban-2022-03-29/ [5] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/world/asia/north-korea-russia-labor.html
- The escalating number of North Korean workers in Russia, despite United Nations sanctions, raises questions about the politics and ethics of their employment, particularly in war-and-conflicts-related sectors like construction, where they are used to fill labor shortages exacerbated by the Ukraine war.
- Amidst general-news headlines of No Kings Day protests, Elon Musk's comments, and controversies over transgender athletes, the severe exploitation and poor safety conditions that North Korean workers endure in Russia's crime-and-justice sector, such as the construction industry, remain a pressing issue warranting attention.
