Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed his country's commitment to Russia, pledging "unconditional" support for its war against Ukraine and vowing to "responsibly" observe the provisions of a mutual defence treaty between Pyongyang and Moscow, North Korea’s state media reported Thursday.
Kim made the remarks during a meeting with Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on Wednesday, according to Yonhap, citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Shoigu’s visit comes amid escalating military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, marked by reports of North Korean troop deployments to Russia in support of the war.
During the meeting, Kim affirmed that North Korea will "unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues, including the Ukrainian issue," according to the KCNA.
Kim also said his country will "responsibly observe the articles of the treaty" between the two nations, it reported, referring to the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed by him and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June last year in Pyongyang.
During the talks, both sides "confirmed the consensus" of the two nations' stance on the Ukraine situation and pledged to develop the bilateral ties into the "powerful and comprehensive relations of strategic partnership".
Kim and Shoigu discussed prospects for rebuilding the Kursk front-line region and specific steps to "commemorate the memory of North Korean soldiers' feat," Russia's news agency Tass reported Wednesday, citing Russia's Security Council.
Seoul's unification ministry indicated that discussions likely covered North Korea's deployment of additional troops to Russia, ongoing ceasefire negotiations for the Ukraine war, and Kim Jong-un's possible visit to Moscow.
Since the talks coincided with the inauguration of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, a ministry official suggested that the outlook for inter-Korean relations and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula might also have been part of the agenda.
Shoigu's visit—his second in less than three months—came just ahead of the first anniversary of the mutual defence treaty signed on June 19 last year. The treaty mandates "providing military assistance 'without delay' if either side comes under attack."
In April, North Korea made its first public acknowledgement that it had dispatched troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine.
Seoul's spy agency estimates that North Korea has sent around 15,000 soldiers to Russia so far, with reported casualties exceeding 4,700, including approximately 600 deaths.
(inputs from IANS)