OMM Redaksiyası
North Korea has rejected a report on its overseas workers by a US-led sanctions monitoring group, accusing it of presenting legitimate economic cooperation as a violation of UN sanctions.
The Foreign Ministry described the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team as a “ghost group lacking any legality,” according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Report says workers remain in at least 17 countries
The team said last week that between 35,600 and more than 100,000 North Korean workers remained in at least 17 countries, primarily China and Russia, despite UN sanctions requiring their repatriation.
Some of the workers were involved in manufacturing military drones in Russia, the report said.
Pyongyang defended its exchanges with other countries as legitimate, saying they “cannot be subject to interference or investigation of a third party.” It also vowed to “strongly counter” efforts to obstruct its development and international cooperation.
Monitoring group formed after Russian veto
The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team was established in October 2024 after Russia blocked the renewal of the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts responsible for monitoring sanctions on North Korea.
The team has 11 members: the United States, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The UN panel had monitored sanctions since 2009. Its mandate expired on April 30, 2024, after Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution the previous month that would have extended it for another year.
Thirteen council members supported the extension, while China abstained. The sanctions themselves remained in force.
