North Korea Sending 6,000 Army Personnel to Russia, Kremlin Says

Sending North Korean soldiers to other countries violates existing U.N. resolutions.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervises during what state media KCNA claims is a test-launch of a strategic cruise missile designed to demonstrate the readiness posture of various nuclear capabilities, on Feb. 26, 2025. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency via Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has committed to sending about 6,000 engineers and construction workers to the Kursk region, according to a June 17 statement quoted by Russian state-run news agency TASS.

Kursk is a border region that has been heavily contested by Russian and Ukrainian forces. At the end of April, Russia claimed to have retaken the area since Ukrainian forces first entered it in mid-2024.