North Korea’s Kim celebrates close relations with Moscow

Ukraine war

North Korea’s Kim celebrates close relations with Moscow

Kim Jong Un praises military cooperation with Russia in a New Year’s message. Putin had previously thanked North Korean soldiers for their deployment in the Ukraine war.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has highly praised his country’s relations with Russia. These were strengthened by “sharing blood, life and death in the same trench,” according to a New Year’s message to Russian President Vladimir Putin published by the state news agency KCNA. Now no one can break the relations between the peoples of the two countries and their unity, Kim continued. Kim’s comments refer to North Korea’s support of Russia in the Ukraine war.

A few days earlier, Putin thanked Kim in a New Year’s message for the “heroic efforts” of the North Korean soldiers.

Last year, North Korea entered into an unprecedented military cooperation with Russia. South Korean intelligence estimates that around 15,000 soldiers were sent in several waves of mobilization to support Russia in the Ukraine war. North Korea also supplied the Russian army with large quantities of ammunition and artillery.

It is assumed that the country, which is largely isolated internationally, will receive money, military technology and security guarantees from Russia in return. In addition, diplomatic circles point out that North Korea’s army is gaining practical combat experience – especially in modern drone warfare – through its deployment in the Ukraine war and wants to test its own weapon systems in practice. It is unclear to what extent North Korean troops are currently actively fighting in the Ukraine war.