Russian FM to Visit North Korea        07/09 06:13

   

   SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will 
travel to North Korea for a three-day visit beginning Friday in the latest sign 
of the countries' deepening ties during Russia's war in Ukraine, state media 
reported.

   North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Lavrov was invited by 
the country's Foreign Ministry but did not immediately provide further details, 
including whether he would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

   Lavrov's visit follows a June trip by Russia's top security official, Sergei 
Shoigu, who met Kim in Pyongyang before saying the North had decided to send 
thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia's Kursk 
region to help rebuild the war-torn area.

   An assessment by South Korea's spy agency said the dispatch will take place 
as early as during July or August.

   Kim has sent thousands of combat troops and large supplies of military 
equipment to help prolong Russia's war efforts against Ukraine, including 
artillery and ballistic missiles. The North Korean announcement came as Lavrov 
was headed to Malaysia for a meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast 
Asian Nations. Some South Korean analysts say Lavrov may discuss arranging a 
visit by Kim to Russia.

   Lavrov last visited North Korea in June 2024, when he accompanied President 
Vladimir Putin to a summit with Kim in Pyongyang. The leaders signed a 
strategic partnership agreement pledging mutual aid if either country faces 
aggression.

   Pyongyang and Moscow both denied North Korean involvement in the war in 
Ukraine until April, when they simultaneously acknowledged North Korean 
soldiers had fought alongside Russian forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion 
into Russia's Kursk border region.

   The two countries have not disclosed how many North Korean soldiers were 
deployed in Russia, but South Korea, U.S. and Ukraine officials said North 
Korea sent about 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia in the fall of last year. 
South Korea said North Korea deployed about 3,000 to 4,000 additional soldiers 
to Russia earlier this year.

   U.S., South Korean and Japanese officials have expressed concerns that Kim 
could seek major technology transfers from Russia in return, which would 
potentially enhance the threat posed by his military nuclear program.