MOSCOW, June 18, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - North Korea will send military builders and sappers to help restore Russia's western Kursk region after Ukraine's incursion, Russian news agencies cited Moscow's security chief as saying Tuesday on a trip to Pyongyang.

Sergei Shoigu, the head of Russia's Security Council, held talks with leader Kim Jong Un in North Korea for the second time in less than two weeks, Russian news agencies reported.

North Korea has become one of Russia's main allies during Moscow's more than three-year-long Ukraine offensive, sending thousands of troops to help the Kremlin oust Ukrainian forces from Kursk.

Now Pyongyang is going to dispatch more specialist military forces to help with reconstruction efforts.

"An agreement was also reached on continuing constructive cooperation," the TASS news agency quoted Shoigu as saying.

North Korea would send "a division of builders, two military brigades -- 5,000 people" as well as 1,000 deminers to the Kursk region, Shoigu said.

"This is a kind of fraternal assistance from the Korean people and leader Kim Jong Un to our country," he was quoted as saying.

North Korean state media later described the meeting as proceeding in a "congenial atmosphere of friendship and trust", saying Kim had confirmed plans for further cooperation, but without providing details.

Kim and Shoigu discussed "items of immediate cooperation" as well as "long-term plans" to carry out "important matters agreed by the heads of states of the two countries through the exchanges of personal letters for several weeks," Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Russia and North Korea signed a sweeping military deal last year, including a mutual defence clause, during a rare visit by Putin to the nuclear-armed North.

Pyongyang has been arming Russia to support its Ukraine offensive, according to various reports.

When Shoigu met with Kim and senior military officials earlier in June, the two sides said they wanted to expand and develop Russia-North Korea ties into "the powerful and comprehensive relations of strategic partnership", according to KCNA.