NKHR’s report cited in MSMT’s report on DPRK’s overseas labour program

Our research report "Financing Oppression and Weapons Program: Russia-North Korea Joint Venture Through Military and Security Forces" has been cited twice in a new report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT). 

Released on September 16, the report on North Korea’s overseas labour program examines the continued deployment of North Korean workers abroad despite UN sanctions prohibiting the practice.

1️⃣ MSMT referred to our report’s identification of over 110 companies, organizations, and individuals associated with North Korean business operations in Russia. Our research documented an opaque “mushroom network,” in which new affiliated or replacement entities are created as existing ones are established or closed, facilitating the continued deployment of North Korean workers - Page 29.

2️⃣ MSMT also cited our financial data on Sodeystviye College, showing that more than 2.7 billion rubles (approx. US$30 million) in “scholarships” were paid to North Korean students between October 2023 and June 2025, funded by at least 76 Russian enterprises. The unusually large payments (66 times higher than the average scholarship) support the findings of how “scholarship” payments can facilitate the deployment of North Korean workers under the guise of education - Page 37.

These findings are part of NKHR’s ongoing work to expose North Korea’s overseas labour networks and the financial systems supporting them.

👉 Read the full MSMT report: https://lnkd.in/gXrQKDVV 

👉 Read NKHR’s full report: https://lnkd.in/gxzGuGsa