Connection Between North Korean Workers Repatriation and Russia’s Arms Trade

Expert Kang Dong-wan Provides Insights on ‘Overseas North Korean Defectors’
Obtained Footage of ‘Russian Local Airport’ Recorded on the 30th
North Korean Workers in Groups of 100… Regular Biweekly Repatriation
High Costs in North Korea-Russia Arms Trade… Prospects for New Deployments

Following the forced repatriation of over 500 North Korean defectors by the Chinese government, Russian authorities have also begun to repatriate North Korean laborers who were in Russia. Observers both inside and outside the government speculate that this move to replace laborers who could not return home during the border closure with new workers is linked to arms trade between North Korea and Russia. From a humanitarian perspective, concerns have been raised about North Korean citizens losing their chance to defect.

According to a video obtained on the 31st by the Asia Economy through Professor Kang Dong-wan of Dong-A University, a group of North Korean laborers waiting for their tickets was spotted at the Vladivostok International Airport in Russia the previous morning. The flight information signboard shows ‘Pyongyang,’ indicating a flight to the North Korean capital. Professor Kang estimated that there were about 100 workers at the airport, saying, “These are not ordinary people, but workers who were dispatched to the Vladivostok and Primorsky region and were left behind after the border closure. It appears that they have started to be sent back to North Korea.”

He explained, based on information from various sources familiar with the local situation, that “From the 30th of this month until March 29th of next year, it was announced that Air Koryo’s JS271 flight, which travels between Vladivostok and Pyongyang twice a week, will be ‘regularly operated.'” Workers will be repatriated regularly every Monday and Friday for four months. Assuming 100 people are sent each time, the number of dispatched workers awaiting repatriation is estimated at around 4,000. However, it has not been confirmed whether new workers boarded the flight from Pyongyang to Russia.

The fact that these workers have stayed in Russia until now violates sanctions against North Korea. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has completely banned the overseas dispatch of North Korean workers to cut off North Korea’s foreign currency earnings. Accordingly, all workers should have returned to their home country by December 2019, but they were stranded locally when North Korea closed its borders in January 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been reported that North Korea continued to dispatch workers to raise funds for nuclear development by disguising them as ‘student visas’ even after the sanctions were imposed.

“Providing Labor in Exchange for Arms Trade”… Concerns about Forced Repatriation

Authorities believe this repatriation operation is a follow-up to the North Korea-Russia summit. The two sides are presumed to have reached an agreement on arms trade following the summit between North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin last September. It is speculated that North Korea will provide labor to be used in post-war recovery, along with conventional weapons, in return for military technology and food support from Russia.

A government official said, “Russia is seriously short of labor to be deployed to reconstruction sites due to the prolonged war in Ukraine,” and “It is highly likely that they will accept new dispatches after sending back the existing North Korean workers.” He added, “This could be a measure linked to the ‘arms trade,’ which is the quid pro quo for North Korea receiving support in various fields from Russia during Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia.”

Although it seems like a ‘simple repatriation’ of dispatched workers returning to their home country, there is also a possibility that those subject to forced repatriation are included. It has been reported that North Korea has been detaining defectors and missionaries during the border closure period in local embassies. A source said, “Since the war in Ukraine, the attitude of Russian authorities has noticeably changed (to cooperate with North Korea),” and “As soon as a defector is detected, they are immediately caught and handed over to the North Korean jurisdiction.”

Lee Young-hwan, the representative of the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), stated, “If there is a difference in repatriation between China and Russia, it is that while China continues to drive out defectors in its own country (to North Korea), Russia, due to the strengthening of North Korea-Russia cooperation, is likely to maintain or even increase the scale of worker dispatch.” He also expressed concern, saying, “Among those repatriated, there could be residents who were arrested for attempting to defect or those who are subject to punishment.”

By. Jang Hee Jun