North Korea Plans to Send 6,000 Military Builders, Sappers to Russia

News Summary

North Korea will send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Russia’s Kursk region to help clear mines and rebuild war-damaged infrastructure.

The decision was announced during a visit to Pyongyang by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, who met with Kim Jong-un ahead of the anniversary of their mutual defense treaty.

Shoigu also said that the two countries agreed to build memorials for fallen North Korean soldiers and the possible resumption of direct flights between the two nations.

Commentary

As the war in Ukraine drags on, Russia will continue demanding more from the Kim regime—and Kim Jong Un, desperate to secure Moscow’s backing, has little choice but to comply, sending his own citizens into a foreign battlefield to ensure his regime’s survival.

But the cost is mounting. Rising casualties among North Korean troops are taking a heavy toll, particularly among military families who are growing resentful of the regime’s sacrifices.

While the Pyongyang-Moscow alliance may appear mutually beneficial on the surface, its foundation is built on the lives of North Koreans.

As Russia’s demands grow, the loyalty of North Korean soldiers—once the regime’s backbone—may unravel in irreversible ways.