RismadarVoice Reporters
September 21, 2026
North Korea has rejected a report by an international sanctions-monitoring group accusing Pyongyang of continuing to send workers abroad in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry, through a spokesperson quoted by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Monday, accused the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) of misrepresenting the country’s overseas economic activities.
The ministry said Pyongyang would not accept what it described as attempts by hostile countries to restrict its cooperation with other nations, insisting that additional sanctions would not prevent North Korea from pursuing its development and defence objectives.
The dispute follows an MSMT report released on September 16, which alleged that North Korea continued to deploy workers overseas despite international restrictions.
According to the monitoring group’s report, the overseas labour programme generated an estimated $450 million to $800 million in 2025, with the funds allegedly supporting North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
The report estimated that between 35,600 and 101,280 North Korean workers remained employed in at least 17 countries, with China and Russia identified as the main destinations.
The MSMT called on countries hosting North Korean workers to enforce existing UN sanctions by repatriating those workers and preventing the issuance of new work permits.
The United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibit member states from allowing North Korean nationals to work abroad under measures intended to restrict revenue streams that could support Pyongyang’s weapons programmes.
North Korea, however, disputed the monitoring group’s findings, describing its assessment of the country’s international economic cooperation as an attempt to portray lawful activities as sanctions violations.
The MSMT comprises Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.
