Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 19.AP/YONHAP
Russia and North Korea are expanding bilateral relations “in all areas” according to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with visiting North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui on Sunday.
The remarks reaffirmed the growing scope of cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, which fueled speculation that the two sides also discussed expanding military cooperation and coordinating the timing of another summit between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Russia's state-run news agency, TASS, reported that Putin praised the countries' bilateral ties during the meeting at the Kremlin.
“Once again, I would like to express gratitude for the support for our special military operation, for the decision to send soldiers of the Korean People’s Army to take part in the liberation of the Kursk Region,” Putin said.
Putin stressed that the combat achievements of the North Korean soldiers who assisted the Russian military and received state decorations will “never be forgotten” in Russia.
His remarks suggested that cooperation between the two countries, which has accelerated since North Korea deployed troops in support of Russia's war effort in Ukraine, could expand further.
“I know that North Korea will soon celebrate its holiday, the 73rd anniversary of victory in the 1950-1953 [Korean] War,” said Putin. “I would like to congratulate our North Korean friends on this commemorative date.”
North Korea designated July 27, the anniversary of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, as the Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War in 1973. It elevated the observance to national holiday Victory Day in 1996.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, second from left, attends talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, third from right, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, fourth from right, and Yuri Ushakov, Russian presidential foreign policy adviser, far right, at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 19.AP/YONHAP
During the meeting, Putin reaffirmed that he “highly values” the deep mutual understanding he has built with Kim.
“The unwavering and consistent position of our republic’s government is to continuously develop and strengthen our relations on the basis of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation,” Choe said, referring to North Korea by its official name. “At the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Comrade Kim Jong-un once again put forward the strategic line of steadfastly advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership and allied relations with the Russia.”
She also pledged Pyongyang's continued support for Moscow's war effort.
“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will continue to steadfastly support all Russia’s efforts, both now and in the future, aimed at defending the country’s sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity, and at addressing the root causes of the crisis in Ukraine,” Choe said.
North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui attends a meeting at Moscow on July 19.TASS/YONHAP
Her remarks follow signs that North Korea intends to maintain its support for Russia beyond battlefield operations. In December last year, Kim praised a North Korean engineering unit that had served in Russia's Kursk region during the Ukraine War during a welcoming ceremony, a move that some analysts interpreted as signaling North Korea's willingness to participate in long-term postwar reconstruction.
The assessment is reinforced by South Korea's intelligence authorities, which believe Kim considers compensation for North Korea's military support in the Ukraine war to have fallen short of expectations.
Although the Russian readout made no mention of the issue, the two sides were likely to have coordinated the timing of a summit during the meeting, according to experts.
The experts also noted that Choe's visit to Moscow came despite the absence of any major diplomatic events or bilateral anniversaries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony of their new partnership in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024.AP/YONHAP
Diplomatic observers have speculated that the two leaders could hold a summit on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, Russia, in September. Putin could travel to Russia's Far East for the EEF and meet Kim there, as they did during their 2023 meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome.
Some observers suggest that Kim could make his first visit to Moscow. Such a trip would send a strong signal of the deepening ties between North Korea and Russia, both at home and abroad.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony of their new partnership in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/12539199.webp?imageId=12539199&x=0.00&y=0.00&cropw=100.00&croph=85.55&width=960&height=548&format=jpg)
