About 300 workers arrived in Russia from the DPRK in early February by train, Yonhap agency reports.
Senior researcher at the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification, Cho Han-beom, citing a Russian source, said that on February 5, hundreds of North Korean workers disembarked from a train at a station near Vladivostok.
— They were carrying packages, but judging by their clothing, they could be identified at first glance as workers, not tourists, — Cho noted.
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He also rejected the possibility that they were students or diplomatic mission officials.
In his opinion, this is one of the first groups of North Korean workers that Pyongyang will likely continue to send to Russia.
Violation of sanctions against North Korea
If the information is confirmed, this will mean a violation of UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit sending workers from the DPRK abroad.
All UN members were required to repatriate DPRK citizens earning income in their jurisdiction by the end of 2019, in accordance with UNSCR 2397, adopted in 2017.
At the same time, the South Korean National Intelligence Service refused to confirm the arrival of hundreds of North Korean workers in Russia.
