DPRK Monitor

We are vigilant about DPRK activities.

Blockchain analytics firms conclude that the DPRK has industrialized crypto theft in 2025—setting record losses through fewer but larger attacks, anchored by the $1.46B Bybit hack and increasingly sophisticated laundering pipelines. Read reports

On July 17, 2025, the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) held a formal briefing at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to present its first report, titled “Unlawful North Korea–Russia Military Cooperation.” (The report released on May 29, 2025 is available in English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic)
The session was attended by representatives from the 11 MSMT member states—Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States—as well as delegates from over 40 other UN member countries.
The MSMT was established in October 2024 as a successor to the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts under the 1718 Sanctions Committee, which was disbanded following a Russian veto. Its mandate is to monitor and report on violations and evasions of UN sanctions on DPRK.
According to the US Department of State website, “the MSMT welcomes interest from additional states to participate in the mechanism.”

North Korea is reportedly preparing to send 25,000 to 30,000 additional troops to Russia, according to Ukrainian intelligence and corroborated by Western sources.

Around 11,000 North Korean soldiers were secretly deployed to Russia in late 2024. About 4,000 of them were killed or injured in combat, particularly during the defense of Russia’s Kursk region.
Ukrainian assessment states the Russian Ministry of Defense will supply equipment and arms, with the goal of integrating North Korean troops into Russian combat units, including potential involvement in large-scale offensive operations.
Satellite imagery shows troop transport ships and IL-76 cargo planes at Russian and North Korean ports and airports, suggesting preparations for further deployments.
Ukrainian officials and analysts suggest Pyongyang aims to deepen its "blood debt" with Moscow to gain long-term leverage, despite high short-term losses.
(Edited by DPRK Monitor)

<MBC> 2025-06-26, 국회 정보위원회 백브리핑 (Background briefing by the National Assembly Intelligence Committee of the ROK).

Russia may launch a major offensive in July or August.
In October 2023, North Korea deployed 11,000 personnel to Russia, followed by an additional 4,000 troops.
Russia recently announced the deployment of 6,000 military engineers and construction units for reconstruction in Kursk.
NIS believes further deployments could occur as early as July or August, citing past patterns and ongoing recruitment efforts in North Korea.
Russia is believed to have provided economic aid, air defense systems, and electronic warfare equipment, along with technical support for space launch engines, drones, and missile guidance systems.
(Edited by DPRK Monitor)
View full Korean script with English translation