Amid escalating regional tensions following North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia and the test launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the foreign ministers of North Korea and Russia held a surprise meeting on November 1 in Moscow.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui heightened the rhetoric by stating, “The Korean Peninsula could become explosive at any moment.”
According to reports from international outlets, including Reuters, Choe told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, “We need to strengthen our nuclear capabilities and bolster readiness for retaliatory nuclear strikes.” Choe further remarked that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un should support Russian military forces and citizens and assist in the “holy war” in Ukraine.
“We will stand with our Russian comrades until victory, and there is no doubt that Russia will prevail in Ukraine,” Choe added.
North Korea, which has been illicitly supplying weapons to Russia since last year, began deploying around 3,000 troops to the battlefield earlier this month. The foreign ministers’ meeting, referring to the war in Ukraine as a “holy war,” appears to have aimed at justifying North Korea’s military support.
During the meeting, Lavrov stated, “A very close relationship has been formed between the military and security agencies of Russia and North Korea,” adding that the two countries could tackle significant tasks for mutual security. Observers speculate that Russia’s potential compensation for North Korea’s military involvement might also have been a topic of discussion.
The two ministers also reportedly discussed the future utilization of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement signed between the two nations in June. Choe emphasized, “The treaty signed during the Pyongyang summit provides a historic and strong legal foundation for expanding and strengthening our strategic interactions,” highlighting its growing significance.
North Korea and Russia are citing Article 4 of their bilateral treaty, which outlines mutual wartime assistance, to justify North Korea’s troop deployment. Article 4 stipulates that if either party is attacked by individual or multiple nations and enters a state of war, the other party shall provide military and other forms of assistance with all available means in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51 and the laws of both North Korea and Russia.
In a related interview on October 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted, “The question remains how we will apply this clause. When we need to make a decision, we certainly will, and our North Korean friends have a corresponding stance,” effectively confirming North Korea’s military deployment as a given.
However, the treaty has yet to be officially ratified by either nation. In Russia, it has passed the lower house of parliament and is currently awaiting upper house approval, while North Korea has not yet announced any ratification developments.
Meanwhile, images of Choe’s welcome in Moscow were shared on Russia’s official Telegram channel. Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, posted that Lavrov presented Choe with a bouquet at their meeting at Yaroslavsky Station, where a plaque commemorating Kim Il-sung’s 1949 visit to the Soviet Union was unveiled.
Choe departed Pyongyang on October 28, traveled through Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East, and arrived in Moscow on October 30. The agenda of the meeting reportedly included discussions on a possible visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Russia.
BY JEEHYE HAN, YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
