North Korea plans to ship army building staff and deminers to Russia

On this photograph offered by the North Korean authorities, Russian Safety Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, third left, meets with North Korean chief Kim Jong Un, second proper, on the headquarters of the ruling Staff’ Celebration in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Impartial journalists weren’t given entry to cowl the occasion depicted on this picture distributed by the North Korean authorities. The content material of this picture is as offered and can’t be independently verified. Korean language watermark on picture as offered by supply reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central Information Company.

朝鮮通信社/AP/KCNA through KNS

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朝鮮通信社/AP/KCNA through KNS

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea will ship 1000’s of army building staff and deminers to help reconstruction work in Russia’s Kursk area, a high Russian official stated Tuesday, the most recent signal of increasing cooperation between the nations.

North Korea has already provided 1000’s of fight troops and an unlimited quantity of typical weapons to again Russia’s struggle in opposition to Ukraine. In April, Pyongyang and Moscow stated that their troopers fought collectively to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border area, although Ukraine has insisted it nonetheless has troops current there.

Wrapping up a one-day go to to Pyongyang, Russian Safety Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu stated that North Korean chief Kim Jong Un determined to ship 1,000 sappers to clear mines within the Kursk area and 5,000 army building staff to revive infrastructure there, in accordance with Russia’s state information company, Tass.

One other Russian state information company, RIA Novosti, carried an analogous report.

“Following the expulsion of invaders from Russian soil, we’ve agreed to continue our constructive cooperation, with the Korean side providing assistance in the restoration of the Kursk region,” Shoigu stated, in accordance with RIA Novosti. “This is a kind of brotherly aid being sent by the Korean people and their leader, Kim Jong Un, to our country.”

Shoigu stated that Moscow and Pyongyang agreed to erect memorials in each international locations in honor of North Korean troopers who died whereas combating within the Kursk area, in accordance with Tass and RIA Novosti.

Kim repeats full help of Russia’s struggle efforts in opposition to Ukraine

North Korea’s official Korean Central Information Company stated Wednesday that Kim confirmed the contents of North Korea’s cooperation with Russia with regard to Kursk’s present state of affairs however did not point out the dispatch of military building staff and deminers cited by Russian media.

KCNA quoted Kim as expressing his resolve to “invariably and unconditionally support” what he known as Russian efforts to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Kim has beforehand made related feedback in help of Russia’s struggle on Ukraine.

KCNA additionally stated that Kim and Shoigu accredited some plans for “conveying long the heroic feats displayed by” North Korean troops in operations to liberate the Kursk space, an obvious reference to the memorial building plan.

North Korea and Russia have by no means disclosed what number of North Korean troops have been despatched to Russia or what number of of them had been killed. However in accordance with South Korean, U.S. and Ukraine assessments, about 15,000 North Korean troopers have been deployed to Russia. South Korea’s spy company stated in April that about 600 North Korean troopers died on the Russia-Ukraine battlefronts.

The deepening ties between North Korea and Russia have raised worries among the many U.S., South Korea and their companions that Russian President Vladimir Putin could in return present Kim with much-needed refined applied sciences that may assist advance his nuclear and missile applications.

The 2 international locations, each in confrontations with the U.S. and its allies, have sharply grown nearer to one another in recent times. In 2024, Kim and Putin signed a landmark protection treaty that requires all sides to offer help if the opposite is attacked.

It was Shoigu’s third go to to North Korea in about three months. The 2 international locations have exchanged high-level visits in previous years, with Kim travelling to Russia in 2023 and Putin to North Korea in 2024. Many observers say Kim may quickly go to Russia once more for an additional summit with Putin.

South Korea, U.S. and Japan react

South Korea’s Overseas Ministry on Thursday expressed “grave concern” over what it described as ongoing illicit cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

The U.S. State Division instructed South Korea’s Yonhap information company that Russia’s continued use of North Korean staff and troopers had been “deeply concerning” and said that Pyongyang was “now relying on Russia to provide it with desperately needed funds in exchange for labor and soldier for hire schemes.” Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba additionally expressed deep concern, saying advancing cooperation between Russia and North Korea threatens to jeopardize world safety.

On Wednesday, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan flew fighter jets for a trilateral aerial coaching off South Korea’s southern Jeju island as a part of their efforts to spice up safety cooperation to deal with North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats, in accordance with the South Korean air pressure.

In South Korea, there are worries that the 2024 North Korea-Russia protection treaty would result in Russia intervening in a possible battle on the Korean Peninsula. Specialists say North Korea’s army would additionally receive worthwhile fight experiences from the Russia-Ukraine struggle.

South Korea, the U.S. and others have said the continued North Korean-Russia army cooperation contain components that represent clear violations of U.N. Safety Council resolutions, which ban any weapons switch involving North Korea and required member states to not challenge work permits to North Koreans.

In its closed-door briefing to lawmakers on April 30, South Korea’s Nationwide Intelligence Service stated that Russia had given North Korea air protection missiles, digital warfare gear, drones and know-how for spy satellite tv for pc launches. The NIS stated that 15,000 North Korean laborers have additionally been despatched to Russia below bilateral industrial cooperation applications, in accordance with lawmakers who attended the briefing.