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North's troop dispatch to Russia signals deepening cooperation, Unification Ministry says

Published: 19 Jun. 2025, 14:28

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, and Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu walk side by side in this image published by the Korean Central News Agency on June 18. [YONHAP]

The South Korean government believes North Korea’s decision to send more personnel to Russia serves not only economic interests but also broader strategic goals, a Ministry of Unification official said Thursday.

Speaking with reporters at the government complex in Seoul, the official said the two isolated regimes seem to be tightening their cooperation since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.

"Russia has grown increasingly reliant on North Korea since the start of the war in Ukraine, and so [Pyongyang] appears intent on deepening that dependence to further solidify the North Korea-Russia alliance," the official said.

From an economic perspective, the official added that North Korea may seek to expand its labor exports to Russia, especially as dispatching workers to China remains difficult under current conditions.

“Given the challenges of sending laborers to China, North Korea may increasingly look to Russia as an alternative destination,” the official said.

The remarks follow Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu’s announcement on Tuesday, after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, that North Korea had agreed to dispatch an additional 6,000 personnel, including engineers and military construction workers.

While Russia made the decision public, North Korea did not disclose the deployment internally.

The Unification Ministry official said the move was likely coordinated. “The reason Russia made the announcement is probably because both sides reached an agreement and North Korea expects some form of return for the dispatch,” the official said.

As for North Korea’s silence, the official said it was likely aimed at managing public opinion. “It appears North Korea refrained from making an announcement to avoid stirring discontent among its own people,” the official said.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]