Thursday, June 5, 2025 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed "unconditional support" for Russia across all areas, including its ongoing war in Ukraine, according to state media reports released on Thursday, June 5.
During a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary
Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, Kim expressed unwavering solidarity with Moscow’s
foreign policy positions, particularly regarding the conflict in Ukraine. The
Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim reaffirmed North Korea's
commitment to backing Russia in what he described as the “sacred cause of
justice.”
“I unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its
foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues, including
the Ukrainian issue,” Kim was quoted as saying. He also voiced confidence in
Russia's victory in the conflict.
The meeting marks Shoigu’s second visit to North Korea in
under three months and comes amid deepening military and diplomatic ties
between the two countries. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited
Pyongyang, where both nations signed a sweeping military cooperation agreement
that included a mutual defense clause.
KCNA said both sides agreed to “dynamically expand” their
relations, which have grown increasingly close since the onset of Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
South Korean intelligence sources, cited by lawmaker Lee
Seong-kweun, claim that approximately 600 North Korean soldiers have been
killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, with thousands more
reportedly injured. In April, North Korea acknowledged for the first time that
it had deployed troops to Russia and confirmed casualties among its forces.
Seoul has also accused Pyongyang of supplying large volumes
of military equipment, including missiles, to Russia. A sanctions monitoring
group comprising countries including South Korea, the United States, and Japan
recently estimated that North Korea sent as many as nine million rounds of
artillery and rocket launcher ammunition to Russia last year. In return, North
Korea is believed to have received air defense systems and anti-aircraft
missiles.
The group condemned the military cooperation as “unlawful,”
highlighting the violations of multilateral sanctions imposed on both nations.
The Shoigu-Kim meeting coincided with the inauguration of
South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, who signaled a shift in policy by
offering dialogue and cooperation with the North. Despite the overture, KCNA
issued only a brief two-line report on Lee’s swearing-in and did not respond to
his proposals for peace talks.
Separately, North Korea’s state media lashed out at French
President Emmanuel Macron for his remarks during the Shangri-La Dialogue in
Singapore, where he warned about the threat posed by Pyongyang’s alignment with
Moscow. A KCNA commentary dismissed Macron’s concerns as “shocking claptrap”
and accused NATO of seeking to militarize the Asia-Pacific region.
The growing alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang continues
to draw international scrutiny amid concerns over escalating militarization and
the violation of international sanctions regimes.
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