For North Koreans, being sent to work abroad is often seen as a precious chance to earn money for their families while getting a rare glimpse of the outside world. But workers arriving in Russia find themselves working long hours in unbearable conditions, only to owe more than they make, researchers say in a new report. They are among more than 100,000 North Korean nationals being exploited as part of a state-sponsored labor program that operates in 40 countries, according to Global Rights Compliance, an international human rights foundation based in The Hague. Each year the North Korean program is estimated to generate $500 million in foreign currency revenue for the reclusive, nuclear-armed state, with workers spread across construction, textiles, medicine, information technology, food service and other industries. The practice also provides an economic boost for Russia, which faces a critical labor shortage more than four years into its war with Ukraine.…