Citing Russia's labor ministry data, Voice of America has reported that the number of North Korean workers in Russia has exceeded 47-thousand.

The VOA report quotes data by the Russian Labour and Social Affairs Ministry on foreign workers' employment permit issuance which show that 47-thousand-364 North Korean workers received work permits in Russia in the year's first quarter.

This is up 27 percent year-on-year.

The number of foreign workers in the country dropped 12 percent over the year in the first quarter due to the falling value of the Russian ruble, but workers from countries such as North Korea and Vietnam increased.

An official at a Russian job information firm attributed this phenomenon to extremely low wages in countries like the North and Vietnam.

Russia's Deputy Minister on the Development of the Far East Maxim Shereikin has meanwhile hinted at replacing Chinese workforce with North Korean workers. He noted that North Koreans paid less, were well disciplined and easy to control as they were monitored by North Korean authorities.

At present, the Chinese account for most of the foreign workers with work permits issued by the Moscow government at some 80-thousand-600 followed by Turkish workers 54-thousand and North Koreans at around 47-thousand.