A delegation of “elite military” arrived in Russia from North Korea

The DPRK has sent an "elite military training delegation" to Russia — North Korean propaganda claims that it has already arrived in the Russian Federation.

Reuters, citing North Koreaʼs state media, reported that this was the first military exchange between the two countries after the leaders signed an agreement on closer military cooperation.

The delegation was headed by Kim Guen Choi, the president of the Kim Il Sung Military University. This university is named after the founder of the state, and the countryʼs leader Kim Jong Un studied there. It is not known which military personnel were part of the delegation and the purpose of their stay in the Russian Federation.

According to Reuters, high-ranking officials in Seoul and Washington are concerned about military cooperation between the Russian Federation and North Korea. According to officials, Moscow could have sent aid of an unknown nature in response to the supply of weapons from Pyongyang.

Union of Russia and North Korea

The Washington Post reports that North Korea may have transferred approximately 1.6 million artillery pieces to Russia between August 2023 and January 2024. During this period, more than 74 000 metric tons of explosives arrived in the DPRK from Russia.

On June 14, South Koreaʼs Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said in an interview with Bloomberg that North Korea sent containers to Russia that can hold almost 5 million artillery shells, but Moscow needs more. Western media associate Putinʼs first visit to Pyongyang in 24 years with this.

On June 18, the Russian leader visited North Korea and met with its leader Kim Jong Un. They signed an agreement on strategic cooperation. The treaty obliges each party to provide immediate military assistance to the other in the event of armed aggression against one of them.

The South Korean TV channel TV Chosun, citing an official, claims that in July of this year, North Korean military officers are expected to be sent to "restore infrastructure" in the occupied Ukrainian Donetsk. It is probably about sappers.

Against the background of strengthening ties between Russia and the DPRK, official Seoul also stated that it "will not have any obstacles in helping Ukraine with lethal weapons" if Russia supplies the DPRK with high-precision weapons.