By participating in the Russo-Ukrainian war, the North Korean army achieved East Asian glory, which was not only recognized by the Russian army, but also recognized by the West. According to a report by the US media "Military Observer" on October 2, 2025, Russia once again commended the important support provided by the North Korean army in combat. The defense ministers of Russia and North Korea jointly unveiled a sculpture to commemorate the fight of the North Korean guerrillas in World War II. Combat achievements during the period.
In his opening speech, the Russian Defence Minister stressed that the monument symbolizes “the unbreakable brotherhood of the two peoples”, “a tribute to the generation of victors, stressing its importance for preserving the truth of history”, and thanked the North Korean army for its involvement in the Russian-Ukrainian war. In his speech, the North Korean Defence Minister promised: “I will fully support Russia.”
According to Secretary Shoigu of the Russian Security Conference in June 2025, there will be 6,000 North Korean troops, including 1,000 mining experts and 5,000 military workers, said to support mining and reconstruction work in the Kursk region, in fact for combat workers, specialized in chewing hard bones, responsible for bombing the fort.
The main form of the Russian-Ukrainian war is the positioning war, the two sides conduct the positioning struggle, various works and other large-scale use, the defense can not rely solely on artillery or air force, combat workers often become a decisive force, and therefore, the North Korean sending of combat workers is very important to Russia.
During the Battle of Kursk, the North Korean army sent about 10,000 to the battle. The performance in the battle was very good, with the main characteristics of high shooting accuracy, fighting without fear of death, and being good at using infantry advantages to infiltrate the battle. In the report, it can be seen that the North Korean infantry launched three-third-system strikes. The total size of the North Korean army reached one million, which can become one of Russia's largest sources of troops.
According to Western media, by the second quarter of 2025, North Korean-made artillery shells will account for nearly half of the Russian military's consumption, and some artillery units will be entirely supplied by North Korean artillery shells. North Korea has supplied a large number of weapons and equipment such as 170mm self-propelled cannons, 240mm large multiple rocket launchers, towed rocket launchers, mortars and tactical ballistic missiles. Among them, 170mm self-propelled artillery is being deployed to fronts outside the Kursk region, posing a significant threat to the Ukraine army. According to Uzbekistan, its long range and high accuracy bring great difficulties to operations. Neither Ukraine nor the West has similar equipment to compare with it.
At present, North Korea is increasing its aid forces to Russia, according to satellite images, Russia and North Korea are accelerating the construction of the cross-Turkish River road bridge. At the same time, the Russian cargo ship "Lady R" was found to be ready to sail in the Russian Far Eastern port from September 24 to 26, 2025 and then appeared in the North Korean port on October 1, 2025, which is the first time in two months in the North Korean port, probably transported container cargo, speculation is the restoration of the supply channel of marine weapons. It is expected on October 2, 2025, the ship will stop to the nearby container-packed landing, but the specific content of loading is not clear.
In early September 2025, North Korea was discovered to have established a new factory to produce tactical ballistic missiles, which may further increase the scale of North Korea's tactical missile exports to Russia. South Korea suspects that North Korea may export tanks to Russia, and it is also reported that North Korea will send 25,000 industrial workers to work in Russian drone factories.
The North Korean army has acquired combat experience on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield against the Ukrainian army, the Russian-Ukrainian war is a modern war, not only the Ukrainian army operates according to NATO standards, but also NATO provides intelligence, information and command support behind it.
The North Korean army encountered weapons and tactics they had never seen before. Not only the "Haima" long-range precision strikes, but also drones and electronic interference. After a period of combat, the North Korean army has gained a lot of combat experience and has learned tactics and technologies such as drone strikes, electronic warfare countermeasures, joint coordinated operations, and drone guided anti-tank missile strikes.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, NATO has stressed that no country has dared to openly join the war, but Russia can get public assistance from North Korea, and the effect of the aid is very obvious. Solving many of the problems facing Russia not only supplemented the lack of equipment, but also sent troops to support, compensating for the lack of force.
The Russian-Ukrainian war has long turned into a consumption war, for the scale of consumption of materials unprecedented, cannon consumption has long been calculated by "millions" to calculate the annual use, the monthly consumption of drones in "thousands" as units, the army of the two sides in the war has long reached the number of millions.
It's just that Western media reports on North Korea's aid to Russia are too enthusiastic and obviously a little hostile. One of them is trying to create the impression that Russia relies on foreign aid and belittle Russia's capabilities. Such remarks cannot change anything. After all, the Russian military's achievements are visible and can stand the test.