North Korean firms tout labor exports and luxury goods despite sanctions | NK News
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September 17, 2026Sep 17, 2026

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North Korean firms tout labor exports and luxury goods despite sanctions

New issue of Foreign Trade magazine promotes DPRK inroads in Russia and China, including through joint ventures

The latest issue of a North Korean trade magazine openly promotes DPRK firms’ labor exports and luxury goods, as well as joint ventures in Russia and China — activities that raise concerns about violations of multiple U.N. sanctions.

The Q2 edition of the state-run Foreign Trade magazine boasts that the firms are dispatching laborers abroad, developing software and cosmetics and even producing ostrich leather handbags, as Pyongyang intensifies efforts to earn hard currency and expand its footprint in foreign markets despite international restrictions.

In particular, a promotional article for the Ulmilbong Trading Companylists “dispatching labor force to foreign countries”