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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again confirmed his “unconditional support” of Russia’s war against Ukraine during a meeting with senior Russian officials.
According to the state-run South Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), the authoritarian ruler made comments on Wednesday during talks with Russian security council chief Sergei Shuigu in Pyongyang.
Kim has repeatedly “unconditionally supported Russia’s position on all important international political issues, including the Ukraine issue, and its foreign policy,” KCNA reported.
The ties between the two countries have been strengthened in recent years, and Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support the war with Ukraine.
North Korean soldiers have been deployed in Russia’s Kursk region, some of which were seized in a surprising attack by Ukrainian forces last August.
During their meeting, Shoigu and Kim discussed the outlook for the reconstructed area of the Kursk region, according to the Russian state TASS news agency.
Russia claimed it had completely regained Kursk in April, but Ukraine still claims there are troops there.
“Illegal” cooperation
During the talk on Wednesday, both sides outlined procedures to commemorate the contributions of North Korean soldiers.
Speculation about North Korea’s military deployment to Russia first came at the end of 2024, with Ukrainian Voldimi Zelensky and South Korean officials accusing Pyongyang of sending soldiers to support Moscow’s war efforts.
However, it was not until April that Moscow and Pyongyang officially confirmed the existence of North Korean troops on the battlefield.
Last week, a watchdog group consisting of South Korea, the US, Japan and eight other countries classified Russia and North Korea’s military cooperation as “illegal” and said it was a significant violation of UN sanctions.
The report said their military alliance is allowing North Korea to fund a banned ballistic missile program.
The group also expressed concern that Russia may transfer sophisticated technology to help North Korea strengthen its nuclear weapons programme.
