SENIOR military officials discussed strengthening cooperation with their Russian counterparts in their latest talks this week in Pyongyang, state media reported, as the two countries continue to align over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Yesterday’s report came days after South Korea’s spy agency, in a closed-door briefing to lawmakers, said it had detected signs of recruitment and training activities in North Korea, possibly in preparation for additional troop deployments to Russia.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said North Korean officials, led by Pak Yong-il, vice-director of the Korean People’s Army’s General Political Bureau, held talks Wednesday with a Russian delegation headed by Vice Defence Minister Viktor Goremykin.
KCNA said the two sides discussed expanding cooperation in line with the “deepened bilateral relations” developed under the country’s leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The report didn’t mention any specific agreements.
When asked whether North Korean and Russian officials may have discussed additional North Korean troop deployments to Russia, Chang Yoon-jeong, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, said Seoul was closely monitoring the situation but wouldn’t make assumptions.
The North Korean-Russian meetings came days after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth travelled to South Korea for annual security talks between the allies on Tuesday and praised South Korean plans to raise its military spending in the face of threats by nuclear-armed North Korea and other regional uncertainties.
In a briefing to lawmakers, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said it also believes around 5,000 North Korean military construction troops have been moving to Russia in phases since September for possible deployment in infrastructure restoration projects. — AP
