(123rf)
Greater than 3,700 North Koreans visited Russia in the course of the third quarter this 12 months for “examine” functions, marking the very best quarterly determine since 2010, a United States information outlet reported Saturday.
US broadcaster Radio Free Asia mentioned a complete of 5,263 North Korean nationals visited Russia in the course of the July-September interval, citing knowledge from Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service.
The quantity is corresponding to the 5,591 recorded throughout the identical interval in 2019, after which it dropped to double digits low from 2020 to 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of this 12 months’s third-quarter determine, 3,765 visited Russia for examine functions, a pointy enhance from 38 within the first quarter and 332 within the second quarter. For a 3rd quarter, the 2024 determine marks the very best since 2010.
RFA speculated that the guests could also be employees dispatched to Russia to earn and ship again international forex.
Alternatively, they could be linked to North Korea’s deployment of troops to assist Russia in its struggle towards Ukraine, RFA mentioned, noting that knowledge prompt no current dispatch of further employees to Russia.
Final month, US Nationwide Safety Communications Advisor John Kirby mentioned North Korea moved at the least 3,000 troops to Russia by ship throughout a interval from early- to mid-October. (Yonhap)
