In 2025, Russia issued more than 36,000 visas to North Korean citizens
Russian authorities issued 36,413 visas to North Korean citizens in 2025, nearly four times the 2024 figure of 9,239.
This is according to data from the Consular Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The vast majority of visas—35,849—were issued for educational purposes. Other categories include: 266 humanitarian, 72 tourist, 47 business, 6 private, and 33 official visas.
The sharp increase in “educational” visas is linked to the fact that labor is being brought into Russia from North Korea under the guise of students “undergoing work placements,” according to an investigation by The Insider. This scheme allows for the circumvention of UN sanctions prohibiting the hiring of North Korean workers.
According to South Korean intelligence, by May 2025, there were already about 15,000 migrant workers from North Korea in Russia. A significant portion worked in the Far East. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu reported that Pyongyang would send about 6,000 people to help rebuild the Kursk region, including 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers.
As a reminder, the state-run news agency of the aggressor country, TASS, and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) signed an agreement on strategic cooperation, which provides for the exchange of information and delegations. The heads of the media organizations announced that the main focus of their work would be countering fake news within the framework of international projects.
