North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to strengthen ties with Russia during talks with Russian security chief Sergei Shoigu, according to state media reports on Saturday.
Western powers have accused North Korea of defying international sanctions by supplying Russia with ammunition in support of its war effort in Ukraine, now entering its third year.
North Korea has recently intensified its military relations with Russia, with Russian President Vladimir Putin making a rare trip to Pyongyang in June, where both leaders signed a mutual defence agreement.
Images released by North Korean state media showed Kim and Shoigu embracing and smiling after their meeting. Kim extended well wishes to “the respected President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin,” wishing him good health and continued success.
The talks were described as “constructive” and took place in “a friendly, trustworthy, and warm atmosphere,” though the exact location of the meeting was not revealed. Analysts speculate that the talks were held at the Kumsusan Guest Palace in Pyongyang, a site that has previously hosted both Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping.
Kim reaffirmed that North Korea’s government would expand cooperation with Russia based on the defence treaty signed in June, using the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Russia’s Security Council echoed these sentiments on its official website, noting that Shoigu’s meeting with Kim would make an important contribution to the implementation of the defence agreement. Shoigu, who heads Russia’s Security Council after stepping down as defence minister in May, last met with Kim in July 2023 during celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.
This latest meeting comes just two days after North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles into waters east of the Korean peninsula. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff suggested that these tests could involve weapons intended for export to Russia.
In a related development, North Korea on Friday released images of its uranium enrichment facility for the first time. Kim emphasised the need to further increase the number of centrifuges to exponentially boost the production of nuclear weapons for self-defence.
The United States and South Korea have accused North Korea of supplying Russia with ammunition and missiles to aid its military campaign in Ukraine—allegations that Pyongyang has dismissed as “absurd.” However, a report from Conflict Armament Research this week revealed that debris analysis indicated missiles produced in North Korea this year are being used in the Ukraine conflict.
As one of North Korea’s few allies, Russia has maintained close relations with Pyongyang, a partnership that has only strengthened since the war in Ukraine strained Russia’s ties with the West.