North Korea built a museum for its dead in Russia and carved every name into the wall — the BBC counted them from space

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Moscow.

Choe pledged that Pyongyang “will stand by Moscow until victory is achieved in the Ukraine war”, and in return, Russia offered “full support” for North Korea's national security.

General Secretary Kim Jong Un had called from the very beginning for North Korea to “consistently and resolutely support and assist the Russian army and the Russian people in their sacred war, without regard for anyone else,” she reportedly said.

Mutual Defense Treaty And Shared Enmity with Washington

Discussions highlighted the ongoing implementation of the June 2024 bilateral treaty, which includes provisions for mutual defense.

Putin thanked the North Korean government for its assistance in the Ukraine conflict, particularly the deployment of North Korean troops to aid Russia in repelling the 2024 Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region.

In their third round of strategic dialogue, Choe and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov “agreed that the irresponsible conduct of the United States and its allies” is the primary cause of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea Has Sent Tens Of Thousands Of Troops To Ukraine

Under a mutual defense pact between the two countries, North Korea sent some 14,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russia in ‌Kursk. Those troops have suffered horrendous casualties.

An estimated 2,300 to 6,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded while fighting for Russia, primarily in the Kursk border region, according to various international intelligence and physical estimates.

A recent BBC investigation analyzing satellite imagery and official state media photos of Pyongyang's newly constructed Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at Overseas Military Operations revealed approximately 2,304 names engraved onto the facility's memorial walls.

Independent security analysts consider this to be the most reliable baseline for direct military fatalities recognized by North Korea.

Western and British intelligence briefings note that North Korean units suffered nearly 50 percent losses due to high-risk frontline infantry and "human wave" tactics.

Current intelligence assessments from the United States, South Korea, and Ukraine indicate that North Korea has deployed between 14,000 and 16,000 soldiers to fight alongside the Russian military, but they are concentrated primarily in the Kursk border region of western Russia.

Kim’s Growing Ties With Russia May Not Resonate Well With Beijing

Kim Jong Un in recent years has made Russia the priority of his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and huge supplies of weapons to support Putin's invasion of Ukraine, in exchange for economic aid and technology transfers that some experts say are helping advance North Korea's military capabilities.

However, those close ties are not escaping China's view, and the PRC is not too happy about it.

The Institute for the Study of War wrote in its assessment of the Korean Peninsula on July 21 that “The PRC may also have been displeased with North Korea signing a defense treaty with Russia in June 2024 and deploying troops to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine, which reduced Beijing’s leverage over Pyongyang.

“Beijing may now be seeking to restore its leverage over Pyongyang. Beijing has appeared to tacitly shift its opposition to North Korea’s nuclear program since May 2024 by no longer publicly mentioning the issue.

However, Kim hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a summit in June, where Kim addressed his support for a “new Cold War” and portrayed North Korea as part of the united front against the United States.

North Korea has formally adopted a hostile, two-state policy that abandons reunification goals, calling them “a daydream,” shutting down dialogue and reconciliation overtures from South Korea.

While Pyongyang has fiercely rejected inter-Korean talks and criticized US-South Korea military exercises, it has simultaneously left the door open for direct engagement with Washington, provided the US drops its denuclearization demands.

He has used Russia's war on Ukraine as a distraction to accelerate the advancement of his nuclear weapons and missile program.

Will These Talks In Moscow Result In More Troops Sent To Fight?

Reports from Ukrainian and Western intelligence indicate that Pyongyang has deployed around 15,000 to 16,000 soldiers in total, with discussions to potentially send thousands more.

Last year, Kim pledged to triple North Korea's troop level in the war with Ukraine, sending an additional 25,000 to 30,000 troops.

After the Ukrainian attack on Kursk, Pyongyang agreed to send 1,000 sappers and 5,000 military construction workers to clear mines and rebuild Kursk.

About the Author: Steve Balestrieri

Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications

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