North Korea and Russia Discuss Military-Political Cooperation Amid Signs of Troop Deployment
North Korea and Russia continue to strengthen their military-political cooperation by holding talks on exchanges between defense structures.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Yonhap.
Deputy Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army Pak Yong Ir met with Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Viktor Goremykin in Pyongyang. During the meeting, the parties discussed strengthening cooperation between military-political structures.
“At the meeting, both sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation and exchanges between military-political organizations” amid deepening bilateral ties between the two countries, according to the report.
Goremikin, who heads the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, became the first high-ranking official of this level to visit North Korea. His visit took place amid reports from South Korean intelligence about the DPRK's preparations to send additional military contingents to Russia.
According to South Korea's National Intelligence Service, about 5,000 North Korean construction soldiers are already moving to Russia, likely to participate in reconstruction projects.
At the same time, since October last year, North Korea has sent an estimated 15,000 troops and weapons to support Russian military operations, with about 2,000 of them killed in battles in the Kursk region.
This high-level meeting underscores the broader context of growing DPRK`s support for Russia. North Korean drone operators are reportedly assisting Russian forces in the Sumy region by directing artillery and rocket fire on Ukrainian positions from across the border in Russia’s Kursk region.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, intercepted communications confirm the involvement of North Korean units in reconnaissance and targeting operations. This marks another instance of Russia relying on foreign personnel to compensate for heavy battlefield losses and operational failures.
Moreover, Ukrainian intelligence reported that North Korea supplies Russia with 35–50% of its ammunition, including 152 mm and 122 mm artillery shells, short-range ballistic missiles, and various anti-tank and rocket systems, making Pyongyang a key weapons provider in the war against Ukraine.
The growing military and economic cooperation highlights a new axis of isolationist regimes bolstering each other despite international sanctions.
As The Gaze informed earlier, North Korea has begun construction of a museum in Pyongyang dedicated to its soldiers who fought alongside Russia against Ukraine, glorifying their actions as heroic deeds outside the country.
Read more on The Gaze: Kremlin’s Foreign Legion: North Korea’s Role in Russia’s War and the New Global Divide