SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russia's defense minister and vowed to “always support” Russia's war in Ukraine, North Korea's state media reported Saturday.
A Russian military delegation led by Defense Minister Andrei Belosov arrived in North Korea on Friday, amid growing international concerns about greater cooperation between the two countries after North Korea sent thousands of troops to Russia last month.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency said Kim and Belosov in talks on Friday focused on strengthening strategic partnership and defending each country's sovereignty, security interests and international justice in the face of a rapidly changing international security environment. It said a “satisfactory agreement” had been reached.
According to KCNA, Kim said North Korea “will always support the Russian Federation's policy of defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity against imperialist hegemonic moves.”
North Korea supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine and what both Russia and North Korea call NATO's “reckless” eastward march and the U.S.-led move to shatter Russia's status as a great power. It is argued that this is a defensive reaction against
In early November, Kim criticized the U.S. decision to allow Ukraine to attack targets inside Russia with U.S.-supplied long-range missiles as a direct intervention in the conflict. According to KCNA, he said Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine were “timely and effective measures” and showed Russia's resolve.
According to assessments by the United States, Ukraine and South Korea, North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia, some of whom have already begun fighting on the front lines. The United States, South Korea and others say North Korea is also transporting artillery systems, missiles and other conventional weapons to replenish Russia's depleted weapons stocks.
Both North Korea and Russia have not officially confirmed North Korean military movements and have categorically denied reports of arms shipments.
South Korea, the United States, and their partners are concerned that Russia could provide North Korea with advanced weapons technology, including help building more powerful nuclear missiles, in return.
Last week, South Korean National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik told a local SBS television program that South Korea assesses that Russia is providing air defense missile systems to North Korea. He also said Russia appears to be providing economic aid to North Korea and providing various military technologies, including military technology needed for North Korea's efforts to build a reliable space-based surveillance system. He said that.
Belousov also met with North Korean Defense Minister Noh Kwang-chul on Friday. According to KCNA, at a dinner later that day, Belousov said the strategic partnership between the two countries is crucial to protect sovereignty from aggression and arbitrary actions of imperialists.
In June, Mr. Kim and Mr. Putin signed a treaty that obligates both countries to provide immediate military aid if either is attacked. It is considered the largest defense agreement between the two countries since the end of the Cold War.
