Overview
- During Shoigu’s second trip this year, Kim Jong Un assured “unconditional support” for Russia’s position on the Ukrainian conflict across all crucial international issues.
- Under a 2024 mutual defense agreement, Pyongyang has sent soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region, where around 600 North Korean troops have reportedly been killed.
- An independent UN sanctions monitor condemned the transfer of up to nine million artillery shells and multiple rocket launcher rounds from North Korea to Russia last year.
- South Korean intelligence has documented thousands of North Korean casualties in battles against Ukrainian forces since the spring deployment.
- North Korea’s official KCNA agency denounced President Macron’s remarks about NATO’s role in Asia as “shocking ineptitudes,” underscoring rising diplomatic strains with Western nations.