Overview
- KCNA said Viktor Goremykin met Pak Yong-il in Pyongyang to discuss strengthening cooperation and exchanges between their military-political organizations.
- Goremykin also met Defense Minister No Kwang-chol, with KCNA describing a friendly atmosphere while disclosing no concrete agreements.
- South Korea's Unification Ministry noted this was the first North Korean visit by a Russian official holding the Main Military-Political Directorate title and framed it as reciprocal to Pak Yong-il’s April trip to Russia.
- South Korea’s intelligence service reported signs of recruitment and training in the North and estimated about 5,000 construction troops have been moving to Russia since September for likely infrastructure projects.
- Seoul’s assessments say North Korea has sent roughly 15,000 personnel and large quantities of weapons to support Russia’s war in Ukraine since last fall.