North Korea, Russia sign pact to give all available military help if other is attacked

FILE PHOTO: Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un arrive for a gala concert in Pyongyang, North Korea June 19, 2024. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea and Russia agreed to provide immediate military assistance if the other side faced armed aggression, under a pact their leaders signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's first visit in 24 years.

The pledge is seen as the revival of a mutual defence agreement under a 1961 treaty adopted by the Cold War allies that was annulled in 1990 when the Soviet Union established diplomatic ties with South Korea.