Editor’s note: This is the first article in a three-part series on North Korea’s overseas laborers.

North Korea has large numbers of workers stationed overseas and engaged in a wide variety of tasks, and recent developments suggest their numbers are only set to grow.

The latest report from the U.N. Panel of Experts monitoring sanctions on North Korea estimated that as many as 100,000 DPRK workers remained employed overseas in 2023, generating an estimated $500 million in annual revenue.

North Korea has also indicated that it wants to send as many as its