North Korea sending 15,000 labor migrants to Russia may signal 'adaptation phase' — analyst

He shared this opinion on Espreso TV.

"As for the Chinese in the Russian Federation, their economic expansion in the Far East has been going on for years, and Russia still won’t admit this threat. But with the North Koreans, it’s a different story. I assume Russia pays Kim Jong-un for each labor migrant — maybe not with money, but with grain or something like that. North Korea is often on the edge of starvation. And Russia needs workers for its vast territories, cheap labor is simply essential. So this is a case of mutually beneficial cooperation. Maybe this is how they’re adapting to Russian realities and slowly picking up some Russian," the political scientist said.

Yevhen Mahda added that the next possible step for North Korean workers is getting Russian documents and then signing contracts to serve in the Russian military.

• On May 5, The Wall Street Journal, citing South Korean intelligence, reported that North Korea had sent around 15,000 labor migrants to Russia, amid a workforce shortage caused by the war against Ukraine and a falling birth rate in the Russian Federation.