By Canadian Press

North Korea to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia

Jun 17, 2025 | 4:31 AM

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russian state news agency RIA Novosti says North Korea will send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia.

The Russian new agency cited top Russian security official Sergei Shoigu as making the comments during his visit to North Korea on Tuesday.

North Korea has already sent thousands of troops and conventional weapons to support Russia’s war against Ukraine amid booming military partnerships between the two nations.

During his earlier visit to Pyongyang earlier this month, Shoigu and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un discussed rebuilding the Kursk region, according to Russian state media.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A top Russian security official traveled to Pyongyang for the second time this month for another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian state media reported Tuesday, the latest display of the countries’ deepening ties amid President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.

Russia’s Tass news agency said Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu arrived in the North Korean capital on an unspecified “special” mission from Putin and was expected to meet with Kim. North Korean state media didn’t immediately confirm the visit.

Kim has supplied Russia with thousands of troops and large shipments of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, to support its military operation in Ukraine. Washington and Seoul have expressed concern that, in return, Kim may seek Russian technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by his nuclear-armed military.

In April, Pyongyang and Moscow officially confirmed North Korean troops’ deployment to Russia for the first time, saying that soldiers of the two countries were fighting alongside each other to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region. Putin then thanked North Korea’s participation in the war and promised not to forget their sacrifices.

In their previous meeting on June 4, Kim told Shoigu that his government would “unconditionally support” Russia over the war in Ukraine and other critical international issues as they discussed strengthening the strategic partnership between their countries, according to North Korean state media. Tass then reported that Shoigu and Kim also discussed prospects for rebuilding the Kursk region and outlined steps to commemorate the combat contributions of North Korean soldiers.

The Associated Press