Russia and North Korea formalise military partnership through 2031
A new agreement aims to stabilise military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, building on a 2024 pact while acknowledging significant casualties among North Korean troops fighting in the Kursk region.
Two senior Russian politicians visited North Korea over the weekend to inaugurate a memorial dedicated to North Korean soldiers killed fighting against Ukrainian forces and to negotiate a new defence cooperation agreement. The visit by Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin marks a significant step in institutionalising the military relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang.
The newly agreed framework extends military cooperation until 2031, aiming to place the partnership on a stable, long-term footing. This development builds directly upon a mutual defence deal signed in June 2024 between President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, reflecting a continued intensification of military, political, and economic collaboration since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
During the talks, Belousov presented military awards to North Korean servicemen who participated in the conflict in the Kursk region of Russia. Images released by the Russian Defence Ministry showed the minister embracing Kim Jong Un, while Volodin attended the inauguration ceremony in the capital. The Kremlin noted that Putin sent a telegram to mark the opening, thanking the leadership and the soldiers for their efforts to help reclaim the Kursk region.
While the agreement outlines a plan for the period of 2027 to 2031, specific details regarding the exact terms remain undisclosed, with Belousov stating only that the nations are ready to sign the implementation plan this year. The precise nature of the military support North Korea is providing to Russia beyond this general agreement also remains unclear, though the nations have intensified their cooperation to assist in pushing Ukrainian forces back from the border region.
Casualty figures for North Korean troops fighting for Russia are difficult to obtain from official sources, but South Korean estimates from last September suggest approximately 2,000 soldiers have been killed. To date, only two North Korean soldiers have been captured by Ukrainian forces, highlighting the scarcity of verified data on the human cost of this deepening alliance.
The visit underscores a strategic shift where Pyongyang has offered military support to Moscow, not least to assist in the counteroffensive in the Kursk region. As the two nations move forward with this new long-term plan, the focus remains on stabilising their military ties amidst the ongoing geopolitical tensions in Europe.
