NK gains upper hand over Russia through 6,000 military worker deployment, experts sayNorth Korea appears to be gaining the upper hand in its relationship with Russia, analysts said Wednesday, following reports that Pyongyang agreed to send 6,000 military engineers and mine removers to help rebuild a Russian region damaged in its war with Ukraine. The agreement came during Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu's visit to Pyongyang on Tuesday — marking his third trip to North Korea in the past three months, following visits on March 21 and June 4. The unusually frequent visits by Russia's top security official suggest a shift in the balance of power, with Moscow increasingly reliant on Pyongyang for wartime support. During his meeting with Shoigu, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to dispatch 1,000 mine removers and 5,000 military engineers to Russia's western Kursk region to help restore infrastructure damaged in the war with Ukraine, according to Russian media reports. "Shoigu’s repeated visits indicate a shift in the traditional power dynamic. It now appears that North Korea holds the upper hand in negotiations," Doo Jin-ho, director of the Eurasia RJun 18, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
N. Korean vice FM reaffirms 'consistent' stance on deepening ties with ChinaNorth Korea's vice foreign minister has reaffirmed the country's "consistent" stance on advancing friendship with China while attending a reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang to mark the U.N.-designated International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution last year declaring June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, aimed at highlighting the value of diverse civilizations and promoting dialogue for peace and cooperation. During the embassy event Tuesday marking the first International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong stated that the diversity of civilizations deserves to be respected and that acts of pursuing geopolitical interests at all costs or inciting confrontation between civilizations must be rejected, the embassy said on its website. "In line with the noble will of the top leaders of both parties and countries, deepening and developing the traditional DPRK-China friendship remains the consistent position of the Workers' PJun 18, 2025By Yonhap
South Korea voices concerns over N. Korea's reported plan to send military construction workers to RussiaSouth Korea voiced concerns Wednesday following reports that North Korea is planning to send thousands of military construction workers to Russia in support of its war in Ukraine. Russian media reports said Tuesday that the North will send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Russia's Kursk region, in another possible sign of their deepening military alignment. "It's an issue of concern. We do not support (the North's troop deployment)," a presidential official told reporters when asked about the reported deployment plan in Calgary, Canada, where President Lee Jae Myung was attending the Group of Seven summit. The foreign ministry in Seoul also voiced deep concern, urging Pyongyang to stop such actions immediately. "We express deep concern over the continuing illegal cooperation between North Korea and Russia," a ministry official said. "We urge the North to stop such actions immediately." "The accepting and hiring of North Korean workers abroad is a clear violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. Cooperation between North Korea and Russia must fJun 18, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim meets with Russia's security chief: KCNANorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a meeting with Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, the North's state media confirmed Wednesday, saying that Kim affirmed Pyongyang's cooperation with Moscow under their mutual defense treaty. Kim held talks in Pyongyang with Shoigu, who was on an unspecified special mission from Russian President Vladimir Putin, as North Korea and Russia prepare to mark the first anniversary of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty. "Kim Jong-un confirmed the contents of the DPRK's cooperation within the range of the treaty between the two countries, accepted the relevant plans and discussed in detail the necessary cooperation plans," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. DPRK refers to North Korea's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The KCNA did not provide details of the agreed cooperation, but Russian media reported the previous day that Kim decided to send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Kursk, citing the outcome of the Kim-Shoigu meeting. During the meeting, Shoigu also conveyed a verbalJun 18, 2025By Yonhap
US calls Russia's use of North Korean workers, soldiers for operations against Ukraine 'deeply concerning'WASHINGTON — The United States on Tuesday described Russia's continued use of North Korean workers and troops for operations against Ukraine as "deeply concerning," after Russian media reported Pyongyang will send additional 6,000 military workers and sappers to Russia's front-line Kursk region. A State Department spokesperson made the remarks, underscoring that the income generation by North Korean workers in Russia and other foreign countries constitutes a violation of a U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolution. TASS, a Russian news agency, has reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has decided to send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Russia, after Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang this week. "Russia's continued use of North Korean workers and soldiers to support its military operations against Ukraine is deeply concerning," the spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency. "The North Korean regime correspondingly is now relying on Russia to provide it with desperately needed funds in exchange forJun 18, 2025By Yonhap
COVID-19 erupted in N. Korea more than 2 years before its acknowledgment in 2022: reportWASHINGTON — The COVID-19 pandemic raged in North Korea for more than two years before Pyongyang officially acknowledged the spread of the virus in the country in 2022, a think tank report said Tuesday, debunking the regime's claims of "zero cases" early in the pandemic era. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, in cooperation with the George W. Bush Institute, released the report, titled "Behind Shuttered Borders: A view into North Korea's COVID-19 experiences." It is based on a survey of 100 ordinary North Korean residents. "The DPRK government purposefully misinformed these (its) citizens and the global community about the extent of the pandemic inside North Korea," the report said. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Deaths and suffering due to suspected COVID-19 cases were widespread in North Korea starting in 2020, despite government public proclamations to the World Health Organization of 'zero cases,' and well before the first official announcement of an outbreak in May 2022," it added. The report stressed thatJun 18, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea to send 6,000 military engineer troops to Russia: reportsNorth Korea will send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Russia's Kursk region, Russian media reports said Tuesday, while Moscow's security chief visited Pyongyang for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The announcement came as Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visited the North Korean capital on a special mission from Russian President Vladimir Putin and held talks with Kim earlier in the day, as the two countries prepare to mark the first anniversary of their mutual defense treaty. "Chairman of the State Affairs of the DPRK 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," Tass quoted Shoigu as saying, referring to the North by the acronym of its official name. It marks Shoigu's second visit to North Korea this month, following his previous trip in early June, during which he also met with Kim and discussed security issues involving the Korean Peninsula. Tass quoted the Russian Security Council as saying tJun 17, 2025By Yonhap
Russia's security chief Shoigu arrives in Pyongyang for meeting with NK leader Kim Jong-un: reportRussia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has arrived in Pyongyang to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Russian news agency Tass reported Tuesday. Shoigu visited North Korea on a special mission from Russian President Vladimir Putin and is expected to meet with Kim, the report said. It marks Shoigu's second visit to North Korea, following his previous trip in early June, during which he also met with Kim and discussed security issues involving the Korean Peninsula. The back-to-back visit comes as Russia and North Korea mark the first anniversary of the signing of the treaty of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in June last year in Pyongyang by Kim and Putin, which resulted in North Korea's deployment of troops on the Russian side in the war against Ukraine.Jun 17, 2025By Yonhap
Delegation of N. Korea's state-run news agency departs for Russia to attend OANA meetingA delegation from North Korea's state-run news agency, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), has left for Russia to attend a meeting of a regional association of news agencies, the KCNA said Tuesday. The KCNA delegation, led by Vice President Kang Chol, left Pyongyang the previous day to attend the 19th plenary meeting of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the KCNA said. The trip came amid growing cooperation between the two countries across various fields, including defense, economy, public health and education, following North Korea's deployment of troops on the Russian side in the war against Ukraine.Jun 17, 2025By Yonhap
S. Korea, US to hold 5th NCG meeting in Seoul next month: sourceSouth Korea and the United States plan to hold a new meeting of their key nuclear deterrence body in Seoul next month, a source said Monday, as Seoul is striving to ensure close security cooperation with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration amid growing North Korean threats. The fifth meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) is set to take place next month, though a specific date has yet to be fixed, the source said, as the two countries agreed to hold it in the South Korean capital this year during the fourth NCG meeting in Washington in January. If held, the meeting would mark the first NCG gathering since both the Trump administration and the government of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office in January and earlier this month, respectively. "We plan to hold it in July with a date yet to be fixed," the source told Yonhap News Agency. The upcoming NCG meeting is expected to be a venue where Seoul and Washington underscore their shared commitment to collaboration against North Korea's advancing nuclear threats amid lingering concerns that Trump's America FirstJun 17, 2025By Yonhap
