Andrei Lankov to lecture on NK labor in Russia

Andrei Lankov in 2009

Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul, will give a lecture for the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea on Tuesday on the history of North Korean labor in Russia, Lankov's home country, and the changes in the way North Koreans have been employed there.

"The history of labor migration from North Korea to Russia began in 1946, and in the subsequent years, there has never been a time when North Koreans were not employed somewhere in the USSR/Russia," Lankov wrote in an online invitation. "These people are often portrayed as slaves, as forced labor, but if this is the case, why do they pay large bribes for an opportunity to go?"

He added, "There are good reasons to expect that in the near future, North Korean workers will start arriving in Russia in large numbers."

Lankov completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at Leningrad State University and earned his doctorate in 1989. From 1996 to 2004, he taught Korean history at the Australian National University in Canberra. Since then, he has been at Kookmin, currently at the College of Social Studies. An expert on North Korea, he is the director of Korearisk.com group.

He has written several books and academic articles on North Korea, as well as contributed to several newspapers including Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, Newsweek and The Korea Times. In 2017, Foreign Policy magazine included him in its list of Global Thinkers.

The lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the fifth-floor conference room of Fast Five Tower near Seoul City Hall. Admission costs 10,000 won, or 5,000 won for students with valid ID and is free for RAS Korea members. Registration and payment in advance is only necessary for attending remotely via Zoom. Attending in person requires no action in advance, although you are advised to arrive early before the seats fill up. Visit raskb.com for more information.