North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to “join hands” with Russian President Vladimir Putin to strengthen strategic cooperation to achieve the common goal of building a strong country, North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Monday (June 12).
June 12 is Russia’s National Day. According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to Putin. In the message, he seemed to defend Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine and expressed “full support and solidarity.”
“Justice will eventually prevail, and the Russian people will continue to carry forward their inherent tradition – the history of victory. Our people have always resolutely resisted the power and arbitrariness of the imperialists,” Kim Jong-un wrote, adding that “in order to safeguard Russia’s sovereign rights and development The people of your country express their full support and solidarity to the people of your country who are united in the sacred cause of international justice and interests.”
Kim Jong Un called for “closer strategic cooperation” with Moscow. He said: “In accordance with the common wish of the two peoples to realize the lofty goal of building a strong country and reliably maintain world peace and security, I am willing to work closely with you to further strengthen the strategic cooperation between the DPRK and Russia.”
Kim Jong-un also said that the two countries should “constantly deepen and develop good-neighborly and cooperative relations in line with the requirements of the new era.”
North Korea has sought closer ties with the Kremlin and backed Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, accusing the United States and the West of “hegemonic policies” and “coercive tactics”.
In 2019, Kim Jong-un visited Russia and met Putin for the first time. Since then, North Korea-Russia relations have continued to be friendly. On North Korea’s Liberation Day last August, Putin called Kim Jong-un saying the two countries would “continue to expand constructive bilateral relations and contribute to strengthening security and stability on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia as a whole.”
Pyongyang, accused of supplying arms to Russia, has continued to develop its own arsenal of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons despite years of U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea.
Russia appears to have turned to North Korea and other “rogue” countries in an attempt to circumvent sanctions and export controls to secure the weapons it needs in its 16-month-old war in Ukraine.
Kwon Jong-keun, head of North Korea’s foreign ministry’s U.S. affairs bureau, warned the U.S. in January not to spread rumors about an arms deal between North Korea and Russia, or it would face the consequences. In March this year, according to White House information, in the case of North Korea’s food shortage, Russia provided food to North Korea in exchange for weapons.
“As part of this proposed deal, Russia will acquire more than two dozen weapons and ammunition from the authorities in Pyongyang,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said at the time.