In early July, the U.S. State Department published its annual “Trafficking in Persons” report, which predictably accused Russia and some other countries of supporting the forced labor of North Korean workers. 

The report states that Russian authorities, in violation of U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, issued 3,000 student and workers visas to North Korean citizens who went to Russia as workers.

Despite the violation of UNSC resolutions, describing the North Korean workers in Russia as slave labor is highly questionable. In fact, they are a privileged workforce, and for decades, significant numbers of North Koreans have sought to