Some 1,000 workers from N. Korea remain in Russia, they are not working and will leave soon - Russian Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. Jan 23 (Interfax) - A majority of North Korean workers have left Russia and those who remain in the territory of the country are no longer receiving any payment, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
"Russia is closely observing the obligations envisaged by the international sanctions in place on North Korea, including the UN Security Council's Resolution 2397 Item 8," Zakharova told reporters at a briefing, adding that all North Korean citizens receiving income had to repatriate by December 22, 2019 under this document.
"Most North Korean workers have already left our country. The remaining ones, some 1,000 people, are essentially not such persons anymore as their work permits have expired and they are not receiving income in Russia," she said.
North Korea is taking the necessary measures to organize their departure, Zakharova said.
"It was not possible to send all of them back by December 22 due to objective difficulties. Only one North Korean airline flies from Russia, it makes no more than two flights a week; railway transport possibilities are limited as well," she said.