Editor’s note (Sept. 30, 2026): Following publication, Pyongyang LLC issued a statement disputing this report. Pyongyang LLC CEO and founder Ruslan Zhukov on Sept. 21, 2026 published a rebuttal to this story via an outlet run by Vladimir Sokolov to clarify the company’s position. 

Regarding the legal status of DPRK citizens in Russia, Zhukov stated that claims about Pyongyang LLC being involved in “hiring North Korean workers” or “recruiting labor from the DPRK” are “untrue and contradict the norms of international law.” Acknowledging that U.N. Security Council Resolution 2397 (2017) “explicitly prohibits member states from employing DPRK nationals abroad for