Initially, it is about approximately 6,000 North Koreans who are sent to Russia to help with mine clearance and reconstruction of the Russian region of Kursk.
Russia's former defense minister, now chairman of the Russian Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, reported last week after a meeting with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un that the two countries have agreed that North Korea will provide "fraternal support" in the form of manpower. But no timeframe was specified then.
"Illegal cooperation"
According to South Korean intelligence information, North Korea has begun the process of selecting those who are suitable for the job.
North Korea's southern neighbor and archenemy South Korea expresses deep concern over the "ongoing illegal cooperation" between Russia and North Korea.
"We urge Russia to immediately stop," writes South Korea's UN representative on X.
North Korea's help is seen as another sign of the expanded partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang. North Korea has already sent thousands of soldiers and weapons in support of Russia's war against Ukraine.
25,000 on the way
Last year, Russia and North Korea concluded a comprehensive military and defense agreement in connection with an unusual visit by President Putin to Pyongyang.
In Japanese media, it is also reported that North Korea is preparing to send 25,000 workers to a Russian-Iranian drone factory in Russian Tatarstan, writes the conservative Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute. If the information is correct, it is a "milestone in the trilateral cooperation" between Russia, North Korea, and Iran, the think tank writes on X.
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