North Korea s Kim met Russia s top security official state media say

SEOUL - North Korea will send military builders and sappers to help restore Russia’s western Kursk region after Ukraine’s incursion, Russian news agencies cited Moscow’s security chief as saying on June 17 on a trip to Pyongyang.

Mr Sergei Shoigu, the head of Russia’s Security Council, held talks with leader Kim Jong Un in North Korea for the second time in less than two weeks, Russian news agencies reported.

North Korea has become one of Russia’s main allies during Moscow’s more than three-year-long Ukraine offensive, sending thousands of troops to help the Kremlin oust Ukrainian forces from Kursk.

Now, Pyongyang is going to dispatch more specialist military forces to help with reconstruction efforts.

“An agreement was also reached on continuing constructive cooperation,” the Tass news agency quoted Mr Shoigu as saying.

North Korea would send “a division of builders, two military brigades – 5,000 people” as well as 1,000 deminers to the Kursk region, Mr Shoigu said.

“This is a kind of fraternal assistance from the Korean people and leader Kim Jong Un to our country,” he was quoted as saying.

North Korean state media later described the meeting as proceeding in a “congenial atmosphere of friendship and trust”, saying Mr Kim had confirmed plans for further cooperation, but without providing details.

Mr Kim and Mr Shoigu discussed “items of immediate cooperation” as well as “long-term plans” to carry out “important matters agreed by the heads of states of the two countries through the exchanges of personal letters for several weeks”, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Russia and North Korea signed a sweeping military deal in 2024, including a mutual defence clause, during a rare visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the nuclear-armed North.

Pyongyang has been arming Russia to support its Ukraine offensive, according to various reports.