North Korea will send thousands of workers to Russia to rebuild the Kursk region, the BBC reports.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu met with North Korean leader Kim Jong un on the 17th of June and told Russian media that it can be considered a fraternal gesture of assistance.
South Korea and Japan have already condemned the plan, saying it violates UN sanctions against North Korea.
Concerns have been growing for months about military cooperation between the two authoritarian countries, with thousands of soldiers reportedly taking part in Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
Russian news agency TASS quoted Shoigu as saying that
North Korea would send a construction division consisting of two military brigades and a thousand deminers to the Kursk region.
North Korean media reported that Shoigu and Jong un had discussed long-term cooperation plans during the meeting.
South Korea’s response was swift, with its foreign minister saying there were serious concerns about the continued illegal cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
Japan has also expressed concern. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said that they are very concerned about the development of events, as it will both worsen the situation in Ukraine and affect security in the region around Japan.
Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense treaty last November. The two countries have said they will help each other in case of threat, and Jong un has said the treaty has strengthened mutual cooperation.
South Korea’s intelligence service has reported that around 15 000 North Koreans are already working in Russia
under the cooperation plan. Western officials, meanwhile, estimated in January that at least 1 000 of the 11 000 North Korean soldiers in Russia had died in the past three months. Seoul lawmakers said in the spring that about 4 700 North Koreans had been injured, with 600 of them dead. Analysts believe North Korea is receiving payment or access to Russian military technology in exchange.
Read also: Russia, China and North Korea criticise Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defence project