North Korea is deploying thousands of troops to the Kursk region in occupied Ukraine to aid the Russian military in reconstruction efforts.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu announced Tuesday that North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has committed 6,000 personnel to the region, including both civilians and military operatives.
He made the comments following a meeting with Kim in Pyongyang.
“Chairman of the State Affairs of [North Korea] Kim Jong Un has decided to send 1,000 sappers to Russia to clear mines on Russian territory, as well as 5,000 military construction workers to restore infrastructure destroyed by the occupiers,” Shoigu told reporters.
“Sappers” are military engineers who specialize in the construction and destruction of fortifications, minefields, and transportation infrastructure.
Russia is also planning to construct a memorial in Kursk to honor the North Korean soldiers who have died in battle during the invasion and subsequent skirmishes in the area — similar memorials and museums are planned for Pyongyang.
“The heads of our states have decided to perpetuate the feat of the soldiers of the Korean People’s Army who took part in the fighting,” Shoigu said. “Specifically, we are talking about the unveiling of memorials in Russia and [North Korea] in memory of the Korean soldiers who fell in the battles for the liberation of the Russian territory.”
The public announcement of the partnership marks a drastic step in Russian relations with North Korea, which the Kremlin has previously attempted to downplay.
Following the initial deployment of North Korean personnel to aid the Russian military in October 2024, both nations kept relatively quiet about the extent of their partnership.
In November, they signed a new agreement that strengthened their commitment to providing aid to one another through “all available means” without cementing a formal pact of mutual defense.
North Korea officially acknowledged its participation in the conflict in April.
The tightening friendship between Moscow and Pyongyang is mutually beneficial: Russia is relying on North Korean aid to fill the gaps in its exhausted military, while the Kim dynasty gains a veneer of international legitimacy through its relationship to a regional power.
Participation in the Russian invasion also allows the Korean People’s Army to gain practical battlefield experience it has been without for decades.
SOUTH KOREA SEEKING CHINESE HELP IMPROVING TIES WITH NORTH KOREA
Soldiers who participate in the conflict are promised wages far above anything they could hope to earn working at home, and the government claims that excellent performance will present opportunities for social advancement.
Membership in the Workers’ Party of Korea is a particularly coveted reward. Acceptance into the party, which has ruled North Korea since the Kim dynasty took control, is a base-level requirement for advancement up the social hierarchy.