North Korea could earn up to $800 million from its workers abroad

This is according to a statement by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) concerning a report on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s overseas labor program, Ukrinform reports. “Despite the 2019 repatriation deadline established by UN Security Council Resolution 2397, North Korean workers continue to work in at least 17 countries, generating approximately $450–800 million to finance the DPRK’s unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs,” the report says, citing data as of the end of 2025. The report notes that nearly all of the money earned by North Korean workers abroad — between 80% and 90% — is confiscated by the North Korean authorities.