"North Korea to send 6,000 engineers to western Russia" - Russia, Shoigu

 Recently NHK New on-line reported the following:

“北朝鮮 ロシア西部に工兵6000人派遣へ” ロシア ショイグ氏

2025年6月17日 23時14分

ロシアのショイグ安全保障会議書記は17日、北朝鮮のキム・ジョンウン（金正恩）総書記がロシア西部クルスク州の地雷の除去や復興支援のため工兵6000人を派遣することを決めたと明らかにしました。

ロシア国営のタス通信などによりますと、ロシアの前の国防相で、現在は安全保障会議の書記を務めるショイグ氏は17日、プーチン大統領の指示で北朝鮮の首都ピョンヤンを訪問し、キム・ジョンウン総書記と会談しました。

ショイグ氏とキム総書記の会談は今月に入って4日に続き、2度目です。

会談のあと、ショイグ氏は記者団に対し、キム総書記が、ウクライナ軍の越境攻撃を受けたロシア西部クルスク州の復興のため、工兵を派遣すると表明したことを明らかにしました。

派遣されるのは、地雷の除去にあたる1000人と、道路や通信施設などのインフラの再建にあたる5000人の、合わせて6000人だとしています。

また、クルスク州に派遣され、ウクライナ軍との戦闘で死亡した北朝鮮兵士の記念碑を両国に建設する計画を進めるとしています。

ショイグ氏は北朝鮮の工兵がクルスク州に派遣されることについて「北朝鮮の国民とキム総書記がわが国、特にクルスク州に対して示してくれた兄弟のような支援だ」と述べ、プーチン大統領とキム総書記が「包括的戦略パートナーシップ条約」に署名して今月19日で1年となるのを前に両国の連携の強化を強調しました。

Translation

"North Korea to send 6,000 engineers to western Russia" - Russia, Shoigu

On the 17th, Russian Security Council Secretary Shoigu revealed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had decided to send 6,000 engineers to remove mines and assist in reconstruction in Kursk Oblast, western Russia.

According to Russian state-run TASS and other sources, Shoigu, Russia's former defense minister and current secretary of the Security Council, visited Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, on the 17th at the instruction of President Putin and met with Kim Jong Un.

This would be the second time Shoigu and Kim to meet this month, following their first meeting on the 4th.

After the meeting, Shoigu told reporters that Kim announced that engineers would be sent to help rebuild Kursk Oblast, western Russia, which was hit by a cross-border attack by the Ukrainian military.

A total of 6,000 troops would be sent, including 1,000 to remove landmines and 5,000 to rebuild infrastructure such as roads and communications facilities.

Also, in both countries the government will move forward with plans to build memorials for the North Korean soldiers who were sent to Kursk Oblast and died in fighting with Ukrainian forces.

Regarding the dispatch of North Korean engineers to Kursk Oblast, Shoigu said, "This is the brotherly support that the North Korean people and Chairman Kim have shown to our country, particularly to Kursk Oblast," and emphasized the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries ahead of the one-year anniversary of President Putin and Chairman Kim signing the “Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” that fell on the 19th of this month.

              So, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has decided to send 6,000 troops to Russia to rebuild infrastructure such as roads and communications facilities. Apparently, Kim is happy to have signed the Partnership Treaty with President Putin and to get the rewards that he wants.

Note:

In Russia Oblasts are constituent political entities in a federal union with representation in the Federation Council, and serve as a first-level administrative division. Each oblast features a state government holding authority over a defined geographic territory, with a state legislature, the Oblast Duma. The term oblast can be translated into English as "province" or "region", and there are currently 46 oblasts. (Wikipedia)