North Korea deepens ties with Russia amid Ukrainian conflict
The Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, arrived in North Korea, where he plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
According to the South Korean agency Yonhap, recent meetings between representatives of North Korea and Russia are occurring in the context of military support provided to Moscow by Pyongyang in the war against Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko also visited North Korea. He held talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Cho Son Hui, during which they discussed organizing "political contacts at high and the highest levels."
Another visit by Shoigu
In July 2023, when Shoigu was the Russian Defence Minister, facing issues with Russian weaponry, he travelled to the DPRK to negotiate ammunition supplies. A year later, he returned to Pyongyang, now as the Secretary of the Security Council.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War note that Russia is increasingly relying on support from Iran and North Korea in the war against Ukraine. At the end of February, South Korean intelligence reported that North Korea had sent additional troops to the Kursk region in Russia, where a Ukrainian operation is ongoing. The exact number of soldiers remains unknown.
