In a striking show of deepening ties, North Korea is set to send 5,000 construction workers to help rebuild Russia's war-damaged Kursk region, reports the New York Times. Russian official Sergei Shoigu, a close Putin aide, made the announcement Tuesday following a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang—Shoigu's third such visit since March.
"Following the expulsion of invaders from Russian soil, we've agreed to continue our constructive cooperation, with the Korean side providing assistance in the restoration of the Kursk region," Shoigu said, per the AP, adding he thought the work would begin in the "near future." Shoigu added that 1,000 deminers would join them, and described the arrangement as "a kind of fraternal aid of the Korean people." Reuters reports Ukrainian forces made a surprise attack on Kursk in August 2024 before being pushed out earlier this year.
South Korean officials estimate that as many as 15,000 North Korean laborers are already in Russia—with 4,000 of them working in construction and earning as estimated $800 a month—despite UN sanctions banning such employment. The North Korean government collects much of the workers' wages, while Russia benefits from additional manpower, especially as its own workforce is stretched by the war in Ukraine. Shoigu touched on two other developments:
- Russian architects and sculptors were in Pyongyang to discuss plans for memorials in both countries to commemorate North Korean soldiers killed in Kursk.
- Talks are also underway to establish direct flights between the two countries' capitals for the first time in over three decades.
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