7th Anniversary of First Kim Jong Un?Putin Summit: North Korea Reaffirms "Strengthening Comprehensive Cooperation"

North Korea has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening comprehensive cooperation with Russia on the seventh anniversary of the first summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On April 25, North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement under the name of the "Vice Minister in charge of Russia affairs," describing the first meeting between Kim and Putin as a "historic event that marked a new turning point for the development of a new era in DPRK-Russia relations."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Photo by Yonhap News

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In particular, referring to the "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty" signed at the North Korea-Russia summit held in Pyongyang in 2024, the ministry stated that "relations between the two countries have truly reached the high level of an alliance, and a solid legal foundation has been established to reliably safeguard peace and stability in the region."

On the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s ‘Kursk Liberation Operation’ victory, North Korea claimed that the dispatch of North Korean troops was "an example demonstrating the strength of the alliance" and a symbolic measure for implementing the treaty. The ministry added, "We will continue to comprehensively expand and strengthen communication and cooperation in all areas, including politics, economy, military, and culture."

The North Korea-Russia relationship has been strengthened through a series of events: starting with the 2019 summit in Vladivostok, followed by Kim’s visit to Russia in 2023, and President Putin’s reciprocal visit to Pyongyang in 2024.

Recently, ahead of the first anniversary of the Kursk Liberation, a large number of Russian minister-level officials entered North Korea at the same time, signaling a peak in high-level exchanges between the two countries. On this day, Vyacheslav Volodin, the Speaker of the Russian State Duma, also visited North Korea to attend the opening ceremony of the memorial hall for the Kursk troop dispatch, scheduled for the following day.

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