Lee Sang-yong

4 weeks ago | dailynk.com | Lee Sang Yong |Lee Sang-yong

North Korea began selecting workers and technicians in early March for reconstruction projects in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, including the Donbas region. These labor assignments, already agreed upon with Russia, appear designed to earn foreign currency while strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. A source in North Korea told Daily NK recently that the country is reviewing plans to send groups of 1,000–2,000 workers for Ukrainian reconstruction projects.

1 month ago | dailynk.com | Lee Sang Yong |Lee Sang-yong

As the Trump administration pushes to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, North Korean officials are developing plans to maintain a military alliance with Russia even after the conflict concludes. A North Korean source told Daily NK recently that Pyongyang’s position is that its military strategy isn’t influenced by specific events. This stance suggests that North Korea fundamentally intends to continue developing its military alliance with Russia.

Jan 8, 2025 | dailynk.com | Lee Sang Yong |Lee Sang-yong

The White House’s disclosure during a briefing late last year that around 1,000 North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia had been killed or wounded shocked the international community. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service likewise determined that around 10,000 North Korean troops had been sent to the front line in Russia’s Kursk region, and approximately 1,000 had been killed or wounded.

Dec 9, 2024 | dailynk.com | Lee Sang Yong |Lee Sang-yong

Daily NK has learned that North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), which oversees espionage operations in South Korea and abroad, deployed several hundred agents to the Russia-Ukraine War in early November. The deployment of specialized infiltration and reconnaissance units appears aimed at strengthening North Korea’s comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia, according to a source inside North Korea who spoke with Daily NK last Thursday.

Nov 28, 2024 | dailynk.com | Lee Sang Yong |Lee Sang-yong

North Korea is enforcing strict secrecy around casualties among its troops fighting in Russia. A source within the Korean People’s Army’s 11th Corps revealed that internal protocols exist to quietly handle soldier deaths, with families receiving limited details and the public kept entirely in the dark. “Even when troops perish during training, they are interred on a hill close to their base or cremated, with their families merely informed of their death in the line of duty,” stated the source.