Overview

• Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said Kim Jong Un approved sending 1,000 deminers and 5,000 military construction workers to help rebuild infrastructure in the Kursk region.
• The move follows earlier dispatches of thousands of combat troops and large quantities of weapons from North Korea to support Russia’s campaign in Ukraine.
• South Korea’s Foreign Ministry expressed grave concern, warning that the personnel transfer likely violates UN Security Council sanctions and bolsters a strategic alliance.
• Moscow and Pyongyang agreed to erect memorials in both countries honoring North Korean soldiers killed during joint operations in the Kursk border area.
• U.S. and South Korean assessments estimate about 15,000 North Korean personnel have served in Russia so far, with roughly 600 casualties reported, highlighting deepening dependence and sanctions-evasion risks.