Russia Begins to Deport North Korean Staff in Line With UN Sanctions

NEW YORK (Sputnik) - The authorities of some Russian regions have started to deport North Korean employees in accordance with the UN Security Council's resolution on sanctions against Pyongyang, Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said.

"The ban on workers from North Korea will affect Russian economy, but we respect and fully implement the UN Security Council's decisions. Many governors have already started deportations," Matsegora told Russian journalists.

According to the ambassador, North Korean nationals annually receive up to 15,000 Russian visas, 90 percent of which are short-term working visas.

A total of 35,000 employees from North Korea have worked in Russia, mainly in the spheres of housing construction, agriculture, and fishing industry, Matsegora added.

North Korean workers on average receive the same wages as Russians, however, one salary of such a worker may feed "13 members of his family," and North Koreans have used to send half of their wages to their homeland, the ambassador noted.

In this regard, the diplomat called the statements that North Korean citizens are working in Russia in slavish conditions a "complete nonsense."

On December 22, 2017, the UN Security Council unanimously voted in favor of a US-drafted resolution to introduce new sanctions against North Korea over its continued ballistic missile tests. Multiple provisions in the resolution sanctioned North Korea's oil and petroleum industries.

The resolution also called for the expulsion of all North Korean workers earning income abroad within 24 months, and added 16 individuals and one entity connected to the financing and development of North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs to the UN sanctions list.