Two senior Russian officials visited North Korea over the weekend to open a memorial for North Korean troops who died fighting in Ukraine and to negotiate a new defense cooperation plan extending to 2031.
The visit comes as military, political and economic ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have strengthened during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with North Korea providing military support that has reportedly helped Russian efforts, including operations near the border region of Kursk. Moscow and Pyongyang already concluded a mutual defense treaty in 2024 after a June meeting between Kim Jong Un and President Vladimir Putin.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov traveled to Pyongyang for talks with Kim Jong Un, senior officials and top military leaders. State media released images showing Belousov embracing Kim. Belousov said the two sides had agreed “to place our military cooperation on a stable, long-term footing” and that they were “ready to sign a plan this year for Russian-Korean military cooperation for the period of 2027–2031.” North Korea’s Defense Minister No Kwang also took part in the discussions.
Belousov presented military awards to North Korean servicemen who reportedly fought alongside Russian forces in the Kursk area. North Korea has constructed a memorial in Pyongyang honoring its soldiers killed in the conflict; President Putin sent Kim a telegram thanking Kim and the fallen for their role in efforts to reclaim parts of the Kursk region for Russia.
The chairman of Russia’s State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, attended the memorial inauguration. Russian and North Korean parliamentary figures, including Jo Yong Won, held talks at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun during the visit.
Reliable details on North Korean troop deployment and casualties remain limited. South Korean officials estimated in September that as many as 2,000 North Koreans may have been killed while fighting for Russia, though only two North Korean soldiers have been reported captured by Ukrainian forces.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko