100,000 North Koreans on Student Visas earns $800 million annually for regime

100,000 North Koreans on Student Visas earns $800 million annually for regime

Among them, Chinese-based workers numbered 20,000 to 70,000, the highest, primarily working in labor-intensive industries such as simple processing or IT sectors in border regions like Liaoning and Jilin provinces.

In Russia, 15,000 to 30,000 workers were staying, with the MSMT noting an increasing trend due to closer North Korea-Russia ties. Most were engaged in construction, processing, and agriculture in the Far East regions of Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, and Sakhalin.

North Korean workers were also present in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Africa, working in healthcare, construction, IT, manufacturing, or North Korean restaurants.

The MSMT stated, “Overseas North Korean workers generated income ranging from 450 million to 800 million dollars in 2025, funding the country’s illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programs.” Russian-based North Korean workers earned an average annual income of approximately 7,500 dollars per person. Wages in Russia were up to five times higher than in China depending on the sector, leading to a preference for deployment there.

North Korea confiscated 80–90% of the wages earned by its workers. In some cases, the confiscated amount exceeded actual earnings, leaving workers in debt.

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