In a significant development, a high-ranking Russian official engaged with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, in Pyongyang on Friday, expressing gratitude for North Korea’s backing of Russia’s military activities in Ukraine. This interaction took place in the backdrop of reports from South Korea’s intelligence agency indicating that North Korea had allegedly dispatched additional troops to Russia following substantial losses experienced by Russian soldiers in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Reports from Russia’s state-owned media agency, Tass, indicated that Sergei Shoigu, the Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, met with Kim Jong Un to convey appreciation for North Korea’s support on key geopolitical matters, especially pertaining to Russia’s stance in the Ukrainian conflict. During this meeting, Shoigu also communicated a message from President Vladimir Putin, who extended his greetings and promised to prioritize the implementation of agreements reached in past Russia-North Korea summits.
According to another Russian news outlet, Interfax, Shoigu and Kim deliberated over a variety of topics during their meeting. These included the ongoing war in Ukraine, discussions between Russia and the current U.S. administration under President Trump, along with the strategic security concerns on the Korean Peninsula.
Shoigu’s visit follows a notable development earlier this week where Ukraine and Russia had tentatively agreed to a limited ceasefire after discussions mediated by President Donald Trump with the leaderships of the two countries. However, the exact timeline for this ceasefire and the areas designated as off-limits remain uncertain.
North Korea’s news agency, KCNA, confirmed the arrival of the Russian delegation led by Shoigu but did not disclose the explicit purpose of their visit. The agency acknowledged North Korea’s substantial provision of conventional weaponry to Russia and mentioned the dispatch of approximately 10,000 to 12,000 North Korean troops to Russia. South Korean intelligence, along with their U.S. and Ukrainian counterparts, is attempting to verify the current number of North Korean troops stationed in Russia, with estimates ranging between 1,000 to 3,000.
It is speculated that in exchange for North Korea’s military and technical support, Russia could potentially be offering economic and military aid. Experts posit that North Korea is likely to elevate its support towards Russia to extract maximum advantages before the Ukraine conflict concludes.
Some observers suggest that Shoigu’s visit might be connected to preparing for a potential visit by Kim to Russia, recalling when Putin had previously visited Pyongyang in June 2024 to sign a major defense treaty with Kim, following which an invitation was extended to Kim to visit Moscow.
In 2023, during Shoigu’s tenure as Defense Minister, he was personally shown around a North Korean arms exhibit by Kim, which was interpreted by critics as a strategic sales demonstration. In September 2024, Shoigu visited North Korea again in his capacity as a part of the security council, discussing avenues to expand cooperation with Kim, as reported by North Korea’s state media.
On the test-launches front, KCNA reported on Friday that Kim supervised the launching of new anti-aircraft missiles a day prior, which he termed as a “major defense weapons system” for the country. These missile launches mark North Korea’s sixth weapon testing exercise this year and coincided with the conclusion of the annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises, which North Korea routinely perceives as invasion rehearsals.
This year’s Freedom Shield exercise, which lasted 11 days, was the first major joint military endeavor by the allies since President Trump’s inauguration in January. North Korea typically responds to such exercises with its own military tests and aggressive rhetoric. Hours after this year’s exercises commenced on March 10, North Korea launched several ballistic missiles into the sea.
