North Koreans came to Russia almost 8,000 times to “study” in 2024. This is a five‑year record
Photo: Alexey Konovalov / TASS North Korean citizens crossed the Russian border over 13,000 times in 2024, with 7,887 crossings under the pretext of “studying.” This is according to fresh data from the Border Service of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Mediazona can reveal. The number of visits from North Korea was at its highest in 2024 since 2019 (earlier data are unavailable). With “education” topping the list, “business travel” was in second, with 3,098 border crossings.