How does North Korea finance its armament programmes?

“Despite the repatriation deadline set for 2019 under UN Security Council Resolution 2397, it is suspected that at least 17 countries continue to host workers, generating between 450 million and 800 million US dollars in 2025 to finance North Korea’s illicit nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes,” the report states.

The MSMT determined that at the end of 2025, between 15,000 and 30,000 North Korean citizens were residing in Russia. They primarily perform manual labour—on construction sites or in factories. Some are involved in the production of military equipment, including drones. Their status is concealed through the use of a special student visa programme. The average annual earnings of such a worker in Russia are estimated at approximately $7,500. The monthly salary is sometimes up to five times higher than in China.

A larger number of North Korean citizens currently reside in China. Estimates suggest this figure is between 20,000 and 70,000. Between 2023 and 2025, 10,000 to 20,000 people were temporarily repatriated from there; however, between January 2025 and 2026, approximately 10,000 new North Koreans arrived in China.

Pyongyang reportedly confiscates up to 90 per cent of the earnings of workers abroad. There are even bizarre situations where the amount seized by the state exceeds actual income, driving foreign workers into debt to the state. The movement of workers is, of course, strictly controlled. In the event of a successful escape by a worker abroad, their family members remaining in North Korea face the threat of reprisals.

The MSMT was established in October 2024 by 11 nations, including the US and South Korea. Its objective is to monitor and report violations of sanctions set out in relevant UN Security Council resolutions aimed at curtailing the development of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.