North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reaffirmed Pyongyang’s support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, pledging to assist Moscow in achieving victory in its “sacred war,” state media reported on Monday.
This declaration comes as a series of top Russian officials have visited Pyongyang in recent days, including Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, who met with Kim Jong Un on Sunday.
North Korea “will always fully support Russia’s policy of defending national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security interests,” Kim Jong Un stated to Mr. Belousov, according to the North Korean state news agency KCNA.
The leader expressed his “conviction that the Russian army and people would undoubtedly win in this sacred and just war.”
Both parties discussed strengthening military ties, with Belousov indicating that Moscow was prepared to sign a cooperation plan covering the period 2027-2031.
Kim Jong Un, Andrei Belousov, and Russian Duma President Vyacheslav Volodin also attended the inauguration of a memorial honoring North Korean soldiers killed in Ukraine.
The ceremony featured a concert, fireworks, and an aerial parade. The public was moved by depictions of “bloody battles” and “hand-to-hand combat defying death and heroic explosions chosen without hesitation by young soldiers,” as reported by KCNA.
North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers, missiles, and ammunition to support Russia in its war against Ukraine.
South Korea estimates that around 2,000 North Koreans have been killed in this conflict.
In return, according to experts, North Korea receives financial aid, military technology, as well as food and energy resources from Russia, allowing Pyongyang to circumvent heavy international sanctions on its banned nuclear programs.
In 2024, the two countries signed a military pact obliging each state to provide military assistance “without delay” in case of an attack on the other.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung stated on Monday that it is “the fate of both North and South to make the flowers of peace bloom.”
Lee pledged to act “proactively” to restore trust with Pyongyang.
“We hope the North will trust in the sincerity of our government and respond in the same manner,” he added.
