Moving to North Korea from Russia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Russia to North Korea — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Russia to North Korea, and you’d need to navigate life in Korean. Expect a noticeable climate shift — P'yongyang averages 60°F vs 48°F in Moscow, making it significantly warmer.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Russia to North Korea, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to North Korea?
Top countries of origin for North Korea's foreign-born residents.
- 29,248
- 5,477
- 2,990
- 2,841
- 1,444
- 1,049
- · · ·
-
20.146
Russia
Key Indicator Comparison
How Russia and North Korea stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Russia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Korea leads in adult obesity rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Russia generally does better on environment, though North Korea leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
Russia performs better than North Korea across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
Russia generally does better on employment & economy, though North Korea leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
percentage of adults who can read and write
Russia generally does better on family life, though North Korea leads in literacy rate.
Data: The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Moscow | P'yongyang |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 27°/15°F (-3°/-10°C) | 38°/20°F (4°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 68°/52°F (20°/11°C) | 81°/65°F (27°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 36°/26°F (2°/-3°C) | 50°/31°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Moscow | P'yongyang |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21°/10°F (-6.3°/-12.3°C) | 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.7°C) |
| Feb | 24°/12°F (-4.2°/-11.1°C) | 36°/18°F (2.4°/-7.8°C) |
| Mar | 35°/22°F (1.5°/-5.6°C) | 48°/29°F (8.9°/-1.8°C) |
| Apr | 51°/35°F (10.4°/1.7°C) | 63°/41°F (17.1°/4.9°C) |
| May | 65°/46°F (18.4°/7.6°C) | 73°/52°F (22.6°/10.9°C) |
| Jun | 71°/53°F (21.7°/11.5°C) | 80°/62°F (26.7°/16.5°C) |
| Jul | 74°/56°F (23.1°/13.5°C) | 83°/69°F (28.6°/20.7°C) |
| Aug | 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.0°C) | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.5°C) |
| Sep | 60°/45°F (15.4°/7.1°C) | 76°/58°F (24.7°/14.3°C) |
| Oct | 47°/36°F (8.2°/2.1°C) | 65°/44°F (18.2°/6.7°C) |
| Nov | 34°/26°F (1.1°/-3.3°C) | 49°/31°F (9.4°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 26°/17°F (-3.5°/-8.6°C) | 35°/19°F (1.7°/-7.2°C) |
Data:
Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Russia and North Korea. To live, work, or study long-term in North Korea, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check North Korea's immigration authority.
Russia passport holder visiting North Korea
Visa Required
North Korea passport holder visiting Russia
Visa Online (e-Visa)Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from North Korea?
Working remotely from North Korea's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Russia and North Korea.
How is healthcare in North Korea compared to Russia?
Russia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Korea leads in adult obesity rate. There are 36.7 doctors per 10,000 people in North Korea, compared to 38.3 in Russia. North Korea scores 68 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Russia: 79).
What's the weather like in North Korea compared to Russia?
The average high temperature in P'yongyang is 60°F, compared to 48°F in Moscow. P'yongyang receives around 37.0 in of rainfall per year, while Moscow gets 27.2 in.
What language do they speak in North Korea?
The official language in North Korea is Korean. In Russia, the official language is Russian.
