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Russia and North Korea negotiate a new defense cooperation agreement valid from 2027 to 2031. Putin and Kim Jong-un deepen an alliance that has already sent about 14,000 North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Minister, Andrei Belousov, was in Pyongyang for meetings with authorities on expanding military ties, and authorities from South Korea and Ukraine estimate that more than 6,000 North Koreans have died in the conflict.
Putin and Kim Jong-un are transforming what began as circumstantial support into a long-term military alliance with consequences that go far beyond the war in Ukraine. A Russian delegation led by the Defense Minister, Andrei Belousov, was in Pyongyang to negotiate a defense cooperation plan that will cover the period from 2027 to 2031, with bases described by Belousov himself as “stable and long-term”. The details of the agreement have not been revealed, but it is expected to be formalized by 2026.
The rapprochement between Moscow and Pyongyang has already produced concrete results on the battlefield. North Korea sent about 14,000 soldiers to operate alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, mainly in operations in the Kursk region. Authorities from South Korea and Ukraine estimate that more than 6,000 of these combatants have died in combat, a number that, if confirmed, would represent one of the largest North Korean military losses since the Korean War in the 1950s. During the visit to Pyongyang, the Russian delegation inaugurated a memorial in honor of the North Korean soldiers killed on Russian territory.
What is known about the new defense agreement until 2031
According to information released by R7, the cooperation plan negotiated in Pyongyang covers the period from 2027 to 2031 and represents an institutional formalization of a relationship that until recently was maintained in ambiguity. The previous agreement, signed in June 2024 during a meeting between Putin and Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang itself, already established mutual defense between the two countries, but the new pact adds a defined time horizon and specific commitments that have not yet been disclosed.
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Belousov stated that military cooperation should have “stable and long-term” bases, language that suggests permanent integration between the armed forces of the two countries, not just occasional support during the conflict in Ukraine. North Korean authorities reaffirmed support for Russian policy on issues of sovereignty and national security, signaling that the alliance is perceived as mutually beneficial: Russia obtains soldiers and ammunition, and North Korea receives technology, economic resources, and diplomatic protection.
The 14,000 North Korean soldiers in the Ukraine war
The deployment of 14,000 North Korean soldiers to fight in Ukraine is the most visible and controversial aspect of the alliance between Putin and Kim Jong-un. The troops were mainly deployed to the Kursk region, on the Russian border with Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces had carried out an incursion in August 2024. The North Korean combatants operated integrated with Russian units, participating in offensive and defensive operations.
The loss estimates are high. Authorities from South Korea and Ukraine indicate that more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers have died, a casualty rate of more than 40% that reveals both the intensity of the fighting and the way North Korean troops were employed in high-risk zones. The memorial inaugurated by the Russian delegation in Pyongyang formalizes these losses and transforms the dead into a symbol of the alliance, a strategy that seeks to give political meaning to human sacrifice.
What Putin gains and what Kim Jong-un receives in this alliance
The logic of the alliance is transactional. Russia faces recruitment difficulties for the war in Ukraine and obtains soldiers, artillery ammunition, and ballistic missiles from North Korea that complement its military capabilities without requiring additional internal mobilization, which would be politically costly for Putin. North Korean **soldiers** fill gaps that the Russian army cannot cover with volunteers and contractors.
For Kim Jong-un, the partnership offers benefits that decades of isolation have not provided. **North Korea receives hard currency revenue, access to Russian military technology, real combat experience for its troops, and diplomatic protection in the UN Security Council**, where **Russia** holds veto power. The **cooperation** may also include the transfer of space and nuclear technology, although neither country publicly confirms this aspect.
The memorial to fallen soldiers and what it symbolizes
The inauguration of a memorial in Pyongyang honoring North Korean **soldiers** killed in **Ukraine** is a gesture laden with symbolism. **North Korea, which officially denies having sent troops to the conflict, indirectly acknowledges the losses by allowing Russia to inaugurate a monument** dedicated to the combatants on its territory. The participation of officials from both countries in the ceremony suggests that the deployment of troops, far from being an embarrassing secret, is treated as a source of **military** pride.
For the international community, the memorial is further confirmation that North Korean participation in the **war** is neither rumor nor Ukrainian propaganda, but a fact recognized by those involved. **The formalization of losses makes it more difficult for Russia and North Korea to deny the extent of military cooperation**, and provides adversaries of the Moscow-**Pyongyang** axis with concrete evidence to justify additional sanctions.
What the alliance means for the global balance of power
The partnership between Putin and Kim Jong-un reshapes alliances in a region already concentrating tensions among major powers. **The United States, Japan, and South Korea see the Russia-North Korea cooperation as a direct threat to security in the Asia-Pacific**, and the formalization of an **agreement** until 2031 suggests that the **alliance** will not disappear with the eventual end of the **war** in **Ukraine**.
The scenario worries analysts because it sets a precedent for **military** **cooperation** between a nuclear-armed country and a state developing its own atomic arsenal. **If Russia transfers nuclear or missile technology to North Korea as part of the agreement, the balance of deterrence in the Asia-Pacific will be altered in a potentially irreversible way.** The **defense** pact until 2031 is not just about **Ukraine**: it is about the kind of international order that **Putin and Kim Jong-un** want to build.
Do you believe the alliance between Russia and North Korea will remain after the war in Ukraine ends, or do you think it is a temporary partnership of convenience? Tell us in the comments what you think about the deployment of North Korean soldiers and the new defense pact until 2031.
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