Over five hundred North Korean laborers remain in Russia, the country's government said in a sanctions implementation report submitted to the UN this month, with DPRK border closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic having reportedly prevented them from being repatriated.

The laborers have had their work permits revoked, Russia said, in line with the country's obligations under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2397, which required member states repatriate all North Koreans earning currency in their territory by the end of 2019.