North Korean officials have requested Russia continue to provide jobs for the country’s overseas laborers despite sanctions requiring their repatriation at the end of this year, a lawmaker told Interfax News agency on Tuesday.

Representing A Just Russia as part of a multi-party delegation from the State Duma in Pyongyang over the weekend, Fedot Tumusov told Interfax the North Koreans had “naturally expressed their wishes so that people would be given jobs" in Russia.