North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has approved the deployment of another 6,000 personnel to Russia's Kursk region, deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow amid ongoing hostilities with Ukraine. The latest deployment includes 1,000 sappers and 5,000 military construction workers, according to Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, who concluded his third visit to Pyongyang in as many months.
The sappers will support demining operations in the border region, where Ukrainian forces held territory for eight months following a 2024 incursion. Shoigu said North Korean workers would help "restore infrastructure facilities destroyed by the occupiers," Russian state media reported. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency confirmed Kim had "accepted the relevant plans" regarding cooperation with Russia but did not disclose specifics about the troop deployment.
Shoigu's announcement follows reports that North Korea previously sent approximately 12,000 troops to Kursk in late 2024. Heavy fighting led to significant losses. The U.K. Defense Ministry said on June 15 it estimated more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded. Ukrainian officials had earlier placed the figure at around 3,800 to 4,000.
The new mission signals intensifying reliance by the Kremlin on North Korean labor and military personnel as its war with Ukraine continues. North Korea, in turn, has reportedly received cash payments and military technologies. "Sending North Koreans to support Russia is a quick and reliable way for Kim Jong Un to make money," said Soo Kim, a North Korea researcher and former CIA analyst. "Long run, the access to critical military know-how will only strengthen his threat base."
South Korea's Foreign Ministry expressed "grave concern" over the expanding military ties. The U.S. State Department said the use of North Korean labor and troops was "deeply concerning," warning it constitutes a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibiting arms transfers involving North Korea.
Tensions have mounted further with the 2024 defense treaty signed by Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin, obligating both nations to assist one another in the event of an attack. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba echoed concern, calling the growing partnership a potential threat to global security.
South Korea, the U.S., and Japan responded with a joint aerial exercise near Jeju Island on Wednesday, signaling their commitment to countering North Korea's evolving threats. South Korean intelligence officials estimate that up to 15,000 North Korean personnel are already operating in Russia under military and industrial cooperation agreements. A closed-door briefing in April revealed Russia has supplied Pyongyang with drones, electronic warfare systems, and technology for spy satellite launches.
Shoigu said both nations will build memorials honoring the North Korean soldiers killed in the Kursk region. "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 military operations," he said.
