North Korea will deploy thousands of additional military personnel to Russia’s Kursk region, where North Korean soldiers fought alongside Russian troops for nearly eight months during Ukraine’s invasion of the area.
Following a visit by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu to North Korea on Tuesday, Shoigu announced that 6,000 North Korean troops would be sent to the Kursk region to assist in demining and rebuilding efforts. According to Shoigu, 1,000 of these troops will be mine clearance specialists, while 5,000 combat engineers will support reconstruction of homes and buildings damaged or destroyed during the eight-month-long conflict.
Last July, just before Ukraine’s invasion into the Kursk region, Russia and North Korea signed a Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The deployment of North Korean soldiers to the Kursk region confirmed the defense clause of this pact. Russia has also stated it would defend North Korea in the event of an attack by another country.
Shoigu, Russia’s Defense Minister until last year, has visited North Korea four times in the past twelve months to work on implementing all protocols of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Russia and North Korea began restoring and strengthening their relations in late 2023, marked by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s high-profile summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following this meeting, trade between Moscow and Pyongyang saw a significant increase, with arms shipments to Russia and consumer goods sent to North Korea emerging as the primary commodities exchanged.
North Korea has reportedly received significant military assistance from Russia over the past two years, including advancements in hypersonic missiles and nuclear capabilities, as well as the production of new domestically produced naval destroyers that bear similarities to Russian vessels. The country recently unveiled a new air-to-air missile for its Air Force, which appears to be a locally produced copy of a Russian design.
In return, North Korea has reportedly supplied Russia with weapons such as artillery shells and rocket artillery. Some sources indicate that North Korean factories are producing weapons for Russia under direct supervision by Russian managers.