Thank you for joining us. I’m Yoon Jung-min.
We begin our coverage with Russia’s defense minister visiting Pyongyang at a time when stakes are high on the peninsula and beyond.
It signals the acceleration of military cooperation between the two sides.
Our correspondent Kim Jung-sil reports.
Military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is rapidly expanding, with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arriving in Pyongyang on Friday, according to Russian state media.
TASS reported that Belousov was welcomed by North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang-chol.
Belousov highlighted the rapid growth of bilateral relations, particularly defense collaboration, under the strategic partnership treaty signed in June by Russia and North Korea’s leaders.
No also emphasized the importance of military ties, calling enhanced cooperation a top priority.
The high-level visit also includes talks with senior North Korean military and political officials.
This development comes amid growing concerns over North Korea’s deployment of more than 10,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk region to support Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
In a recent airstrike, Ukraine hit targets in the the Kursk region, reportedly killing 500 North Korean soldiers.
Ukrainian officials allege Pyongyang is seeking to gain combat experience through the deployment, even at the cost of significant troop casualties.
The visit follows North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui’s recent trip to Moscow, where she met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and unexpectedly sat down with President Vladimir Putin.
The trip underscored Pyongyang’s growing ties with Moscow amid increasing global scrutiny.
Earlier in the week, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service confirmed it was closely monitoring reports of North Korean casualties in Kursk and the broader implications of Pyongyang’s military involvement in the conflict.
Kim Jung-sil, Arirang News.
source : https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=278520
