00:00On the 30th, concerns are rising.
00:01According to censor Stumira, after North Korean workers entered Russia's Rostov region,
00:05cases of parasitic infections have significantly increased.
00:08According to a report by NK News, a US media outlet specializing in North Korea health
00:12authorities in the Rostov region identified the influx of North Korean migrant workers
00:15as one of the main causes in a report on the status of parasitic infections released last year.
00:19The report found that North Korean workers are associated with the spread of soil-transmitted
00:24nematodes, such as whipworms and roundworms, as well as other parasites related to the
00:28consumption of raw fish.
00:30The actual statistics also show a clear change.
00:32Until 2023, there were no reported cases of whipworm infection in the Rostov region.
00:36However, after North Korean workers began entering the Rostov region, cases of infection started
00:41to appear, with three cases in 2024 and a significant increase to 68 cases in 2025.
00:46In just two years, the number increased more than 20-fold.
00:49Cases of roundworm infection also increased during the same period.
00:51Roundworm infections, which numbered 17 cases in 2023, increased to 25 cases in 2024 and
00:57rose to 54 cases in 2025.
00:59Both whipworms and roundworms are parasites that live in the human intestine.
01:03A common way people get infected again is when parasite eggs from an infected person's
01:07feces contaminate soil, water, or food, and then someone else comes into contact with them.
01:11Therefore, in order to prevent infection, it is important to maintain proper sanitation,
01:15including toilets and sewage facilities.
01:17In particular, most cases of whipworm infection were concentrated in the mining city of Shaoti,
01:21located in Rostov Oblak.
01:22This area is known to have had an influx of North Korean workers.
01:25The timing of the outbreaks in each region coincided with the influx of North Korean workers.
01:30Because of this, Russian health authorities also seem to have taken note of the connection.
01:34The issue is not just the scale of the infections.
01:36Parasitic infections are unlikely to spread widely in environments with modern sanitation
01:40facilities and proper sewage systems.
01:42But after the influx of North Korean workers, cases of infection increased rapidly in certain
01:47areas.
01:47The reason Russia is accepting North Korean workers is due to labor shortages and reconstruction
01:52needs caused by the war.
01:53North Korean workers are reportedly being deployed to construction and various types of labor
01:57at Russian sites.
01:58However, this case shows that if local hygiene management and the living conditions of workers
02:03are not properly managed while securing labor, new public health issues can arise for local
02:08residents.
02:09Ah.
