North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the coastal city of Wonsan, where North Korea recently inaugurated a major resort, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported today.
"North Korea is ready to unconditionally support all measures taken by the Russian leadership to address the root causes of the Ukraine crisis," Kim said during the meeting. He also expressed "firm belief that Russia will be victorious in defending the dignity and fundamental interests of the country", praising Russian President Vladimir Putin's "outstanding" leadership.
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Kim Jong-un (left) shakes hands with Foreign Minister Lavrov in Wonsan on 12/7. Photo: AFP |
Kim Jong-un (left) shakes hands with Foreign Minister Lavrov in Wonsan on 12/7. Photo: AFP
Kim and Lavrov discussed important matters related to implementing agreements reached during the Russia-North Korea summit in 6/2024.
TASS quoted Lavrov as saying that President Putin hopes the two sides "will continue direct contact in the very near future".
Lavrov also met with his counterpart Choe Son-hui the same day and thanked North Korean military personnel for their support to Russia. "Our North Korean friends reaffirmed their firm support for all the goals of the campaign, as well as the actions of the Russian leadership and forces," Lavrov said in a press conference following the meeting with Choe.
After Ukraine launched an offensive in Russia's Kursk province in 8/2024, Pyongyang sent forces to assist Moscow, which helped fully liberate the region by the end of April.
On 30/6, KCNA published photos of Kim attending a ceremony to repatriate the remains of North Korean soldiers killed in Russia.
The exact number of North Korean troops deployed to Russia and the number of casualties remain unclear, but South Korea estimates the figure to be around 10,000 soldiers. Last month, Russia said North Korea would send 6,000 engineers and demining experts to Kursk province to help rebuild areas previously occupied by Ukraine.
Thuy Lam (AFP, Reuters, TASS)
