North Korea’s Kim vows to further solidify ties to Russia in letter to Putin
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Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in June 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to solidify the country’s comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia
In the message, Mr Kim sent New Year greetings to Mr Putin and all Russians, including their troops, and expressed his willingness to further step up bilateral ties, which he said the two leaders have elevated to a new height in 2024, through new projects, the Korean Central News Agency said.
Mr Kim “wished that the New Year 2025 would be recorded as the first year of victory in the 21st century when the Russian army and people would defeat neo-Nazism and achieve a great victory”, KCNA said.
Mr Kim and Mr Putin signed a mutual defence treaty at a summit in June, which calls for each side to come to the other’s aid in case of an armed attack.
North Korea has since dispatched tens of thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, and Seoul and Washington said that more than a thousand of them have been killed or wounded. REUTERS
