Russia will send home all migrant workers from North Korea by the end of 2019 to comply with sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council, Interfax news agency quoted the Russian ambassador to North Korea, as saying on Tuesday.

Countries are required to send all North Korean workers home within two years under the sanctions imposed on Dec. 22 over Pyongyang's ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

"We will have to obey the Security Council decision and send all workers from Russia by the end on 2019," ambassador Alexander Matsegora was quoted as saying. Matsegora added there were no illegal North Korean workers in Russia.

Matsegora said tens of thousands of workers were due to return home.