North Korean laborers describe brutal forced labor in Russia: ‘Working like a cow, earning nothing’
North Korean laborers describe brutal forced labor in Russia: 'Working like a cow, earning nothing'
Workers forced into grueling labor under North Korea’s overseas work program are describing harsh conditions, long hours, and near-total control over their lives, according to testimony shared with investigators.
One former worker, identified only as “RT” to protect his identity, described what daily life was like while working on construction projects in Russia.
“We woke up before 6 a.m. in the Russian winter,” he said. “We walked to the construction site together and worked from 7 a.m. until 10 or 11 at night, sometimes even midnight. There were no breaks and no set end time. You stop only when the target is met. Rain or snow didn’t matter. We had no gloves, no heating, and no protective equipment. My hands cracked so badly I could barely hold the tools, but stopping wasn’t an option.”
RT is one of an estimated 100,000 laborers sent abroad through North Korea’s state-run overseas labor program. Investigators say the system allows the North Korean government to generate revenue while maintaining strict control over its citizens even outside the country.
A report from Global Rights Compliance alleges that Russian companies continue employing North Korean workers despite United Nations sanctions requiring member states to repatriate them. The report claims companies often conceal their identities, leaving workers unaware of who they are actually working for.
The findings provide insight into how North Korea is believed to sustain its government despite heavy international sanctions — by sending citizens abroad as laborers, taking most of their wages, and maintaining close supervision of their activities.
Yeji Kim, a North Korea advisor for Global Rights Compliance, said workers deployed overseas must pay a mandatory monthly payment to the state known as the “gukga gyehoekbun.”
“Every worker must pay this amount to the government each month,” Kim said. “One worker told us it had to be paid ‘no matter what, dead or alive.’”
According to the report, workers typically earn about $800 per month while working up to 420 hours. However, between $600 and $850 is deducted to meet the required quota, along with payments for travel debt and communal living costs.
What remains for the worker can be as little as $10.
If the quota is not met, the remaining balance carries forward to the next month, leaving some workers trapped in debt for extended periods.
RT described the quota as a constant burden that controlled every aspect of life abroad.
“Every month you must pay,” he said. “There is no negotiation. If you fall short, the debt carries over. We were told the quota had to be met by any means necessary, even if it meant paying from our own pocket. You go abroad to earn money and come back with nothing. If you fail too many times, you are sent home.”
Returning home does not necessarily mean relief, he added.
“It means blacklisting, interrogation, and sometimes your family suffers the consequences,” RT said.
Fox News Digital contacted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and North Korea’s mission to the United Nations for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
The report says testimony from 21 workers in three Russian cities revealed all 11 indicators of forced labor identified by the International Labour Organization. These include debt bondage, restricted movement, withheld wages, excessive overtime, violence, constant surveillance, deception, isolation, and abusive working conditions.
Workers reported that their passports were confiscated immediately upon arrival in Russia and held by North Korean security officials.
“My passport was taken the day I arrived,” RT said. “I never saw it again. I couldn’t leave the worksite freely. The city was right there beyond the fence, but we were sealed off. A few times a year we could go out, but only in groups, with guards counting heads and strict return times.”
Several workers also reported physical violence. In one case, a worker was beaten so badly that he could not work for two weeks.
Surveillance was described as constant, with workers pressured to watch and report on one another. Collective punishment was sometimes used to enforce discipline.
Living conditions were also described as severe. Workers said they lived in overcrowded shipping containers infested with cockroaches and bedbugs. Some reported having access to only one or two showers per year and receiving just a single day off annually.
One worker told investigators they were forced to “live worse than cattle.”
Kim said the overseas labor program provides a major source of income for North Korea.
“The U.N. Panel of Experts estimates the program generates roughly $500 million each year,” she said. “For a country facing the most comprehensive sanctions regime in U.N. history, that is an extremely important revenue stream. It supports the political elite, maintains internal patronage systems, and helps fund military programs, including nuclear development.”
The report comes amid separate reports that North Korea has provided weapons and troops valued at up to $14 billion to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. Investigators say countries that allow the labor program to operate within their borders play a key role in sustaining the system.
Those who provided testimony for the report are among the few who managed to escape.
RT said speaking out now feels like a responsibility.
“We are people just like you, but we are treated like animals,” he said. “We have families. We left home hoping to give our children a better future, but the system took everything from us.”
He believes thousands of others remain trapped in similar conditions.
“Right now there are men on construction sites in Russia working 16 hours a day, sleeping in containers, earning nothing,” he said. “They cannot call home and they cannot leave. Their names are not in any report. No one knows they are there. But they are there. And if I could say one thing to them, it would be this — the world is beginning to listen. Please hold on.”
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