Why Putin's top aide Shoigu keeps meeting Kim Jong-un

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russia's top security official, Sergei Shoigu, agreed to step up Pyongyang's military support for Russia's war in Ukraine, North Korean state media reported Wednesday.
However, North Korean media made no mention of Security Council Secretary Shoigu's separate disclosure that 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers would be sent to Russia's Kursk region.
Shoigu, Russian President Vladimir Putin's longtime ally, made his third trip to Pyongyang this year on Tuesday to meet with Kim Jong-un, following earlier visits on March 22 and June 4 — all of which included talks with the North Korean leader.
The meeting 'discussed the items of immediate cooperation and long-term plans arising in implementing the important matters agreed by the heads of states of the two countries through the exchanges of personal letters for several weeks,' state-run Korean Central News Agency reported in its English-language dispatch.
Kim and Shoigu discussed and agreed on several ideas and plans to commemorate and pass down the 'heroic feats displayed by soldiers of units of the Korean People's Army' during the operations in the Kursk region, KCNA added.
'Proceeding from a correct understanding of the current situation in the special military operations and Kursk Region, Kim Jong Un confirmed the contents of the DPRK's cooperation within the range of the treaty between the two countries, accepted the relevant plans and discussed in detail the necessary cooperation plans,' KCNA read.
The DPRK stands for the official name of North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Kim and Putin signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, which includes a mutual defense obligation, on June 19, 2024, during Putin's visit to Pyongyang — his first since 2000.
The Russian Security Council on Tuesday said Shoigu arrived in Pyongyang on "special instructions" from Putin to hold talks with the North Korean leadership.
'Chairman of the State Affairs of the DPRK Kim Jong-un has decided to send 1,000 sappers to Russia to clear mines on Russian territory, as well as 5,000 military construction workers to restore infrastructure destroyed by the occupiers,' Shoigu was quoted by Russia's state-run TASS as saying.
When asked about the discrepancies between North Korean and Russian media reports, the Unification Ministry assessed that "Russia's disclosure suggests that there was a bilateral agreement on making the matter public externally."
'The fact that Russia disclosed not only the existence of the troop dispatch but also its scale suggests that Pyongyang may have requested this disclosure in order to secure reciprocal benefits," a ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
'However, it is possible that North Korea refrained from mentioning any decision on additional troop deployments out of consideration for domestic public sentiment."
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in March that North Korea sent around 11,000 troops to Russia last year, with over 3,000 more deployed in early 2025. The UK's Defense Intelligence estimated on Sunday that North Korean casualties have likely exceeded 6,000 in the Kursk region.
N. Korea's gains, Russia's needs
Doo Jin-ho, director of the Eurasia Research Center at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said Shoigu's three visits to Pyongyang in just three months were ultimately aimed at securing additional troop deployments — a rare display of urgency that underscores both the visits' symbolic weight and Shoigu's status as one of Putin's closest, longest-serving confidants.
'Moreover, the dynamic between North Korea and Russia is clearly shifting; the power balance is no longer one-sided," Doo told The Korea Herald. "This underscores how significantly Russia has come to depend on North Korea's support, (which is) now materializing in the form of 6,000 rank-and-file combat engineers.'
Doo explained Russia seems to be bracing for a protracted war, signaling its intent to secure victory through endurance rather than placing hope in US-brokered negotiations, which have stalled.
'In this equation, North Korea's support is decisive,' Doo said.
Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification, also noted, "Russia appears to have determined that solidifying control over recaptured territories is essential to gaining the upper hand in future ceasefire negotiations."
"Russia is therefore moving swiftly to advance additional troop deployments through Secretary Shoigu's visit to North Korea," Hong said.
Regarding what North Korea could gain in return for dispatching troops, Doo pointed out the most pressing issue is the launch of a reconnaissance satellite — something North Korea attempted four times between May 2023 and May 2024, with Pyongyang claiming a single success in November 2023.
'There are strong strategic incentives for North Korea to proceed with a satellite launch,' Doo said. 'With the 8th Party Congress cycle concluding this year, Pyongyang is under mounting pressure to deliver on the objectives it pledged at the congress.'
Doo further explained that Russia could provide maintenance, repair and overhaul support for North Korea, with Rajin Port emerging as a key hub for Russian-assisted upgrades. This support could enable North Korea to accelerate the modernization of its aging naval and air force systems.

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