North Korea and Russia Hold High-Level Military Talks in Pyongyang as Ties Deepen

Senior North Korean and Russian Military Officials Meet in Pyongyang

Senior military delegations from North Korea and Russia held talks in Pyongyang this week aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation, North Korea's state media reported.

North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the North Korean side was led by Pak Yong Il, vice director of the Korean People's Army General Political Bureau, while the Russian delegation was headed by Vice Defense Minister Viktor Goremykin. KCNA said the talks focused on expanding military cooperation consistent with what it described as "deepened bilateral relations" cultivated under North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but it gave no details of any concrete agreements.

KCNA: The delegations discussed expanding cooperation in line with the deepened bilateral relations between the two countries.

KCNA also reported that Goremykin's delegation met separately on Thursday with North Korea's defense minister, No Kwang Chol.

Seoul's Concerns and Intelligence Assessments

The talks come after South Korean intelligence agencies told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing they had observed signs of recruitment and training inside North Korea that could indicate preparations for additional troop deployments to Russia. A spokesperson for South Korea's Unification Ministry, Chang Yoon-jeong, said Seoul is closely monitoring the situation but would not speculate about whether additional troop dispatches were discussed.

South Korean assessments cited in recent briefings say North Korea has sent roughly 15,000 troops to Russia since last fall and has supplied substantial quantities of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, to support Moscow's war in Ukraine. Pyongyang has also reportedly agreed to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to work in Russia's Kursk region.

In its briefing to lawmakers, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said it believes about 5,000 North Korean military construction troops have been moved to Russia in phases since September, possibly for deployment on infrastructure restoration projects.

Regional Context

The meetings come amid heightened security consultations among U.S. and South Korean officials this week. U.S. and allied defense representatives are holding regular talks on regional deterrence and South Korea's plans to increase defense spending in response to threats from a nuclear-armed North Korea and other regional tensions.

KCNA's account provided few specifics, and independent verification of many of the claims about troop deployments and weapons transfers remains limited. Observers say the talks underscore increasingly close ties between Pyongyang and Moscow and will be closely watched for any concrete follow-up actions.