More than one thousand North Koreans entered Russia last year, a five-fold increase from 2022 but still well below pre-pandemic levels, new data from the Russian government shows. 

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) revealed that a similar number of Russians traveled to North Korea in the same period, surpassing the combined figure for the entire 2020-22 period, as Moscow and Pyongyang continue to ramp up their ties.

According to the FSB, the number of DPRK nationals that crossed into Russia between September and December last year jumped to 382 from 365 in the previous quarter, bringing the year’s total