Shoigu Connects North Korea and Russia: Third Visit to Pyongyang in Three Months

TASS Reports:
"Meeting with North Korean Chairman Kim Jongun Scheduled"

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jongun (right) and Sergey Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, who visited North Korea, are having a conversation on March 22. Photo by Yonhap News

Sergey Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Security Council and Russia's top security official, arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 17 on a special mission assigned by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to reports from Russian state news agency TASS and others.

Shoigu is scheduled to hold talks with North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jongun while in Pyongyang. This visit comes approximately 13 days after his previous trip to North Korea, during which he met with Chairman Kim on June 4. The current visit is also reportedly aimed at implementing agreements reached during that earlier meeting.

The Russian Security Council stated, "Agreements are being implemented within the framework of the 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty' signed between the Russian Federation and North Korea."

TASS noted that this marks Shoigu's third visit to North Korea in nearly three months, highlighting the rapid expansion of diplomatic and security cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

The United Kingdom's Defence Intelligence (DI) reported on June 15 that the number of North Korean military casualties deployed to the Russia-Ukraine war is estimated to have exceeded 6,000. The report also pointed out that this figure represents more than half of the approximately 11,000 North Korean troops stationed in Kursk.

DI further assessed that Shoigu likely played a key role as a chief negotiator regarding North Korea's support for Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.