Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un has reiterated his unwavering support for Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine during a meeting with a senior Russian security official in Pyongyang.
The meeting on Friday between Kim and Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s Security Council secretary, followed a South Korean intelligence assessment in February suggesting that North Korea had likely deployed additional troops to Russia after its forces sustained heavy casualties in the war.
According to reports from North Korean and Russian state media, the two leaders discussed a range of issues, including Moscow’s dialogue with the Trump administration, the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to a mutual defence treaty agreed upon last year in Pyongyang, pledging to provide assistance should either nation face aggression.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying his government would “invariably support Russia in the struggle for defending the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests.”
Shoigu, in turn, delivered a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who extended his greetings to Kim and assured him of Russia’s commitment to implementing agreements reached in their previous summits.
Shoigu expressed gratitude for North Korea’s “solidarity with Russia's position on all critical geopolitical issues, particularly on the Ukrainian issue,” according to his televised remarks.
However, neither Russian nor North Korean media disclosed whether any new agreements were reached before Shoigu departed Pyongyang later on Friday.
Arms and troop support
According to US, South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence sources, North Korea has been supplying a significant quantity of conventional weapons to Russia.
It is also estimated that North Korea sent between 10,000 and 12,000 troops to Russia last year.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported in late February that it was assessing the number of additional North Korean troops deployed to Russia, with South Korean media estimating between 1,000 and 3,000 new deployments.
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There is widespread suspicion that Pyongyang is receiving economic and military aid from Moscow in return for its support. Analysts believe North Korea will continue to increase its assistance to Russia to extract as many benefits as possible before the war ends.
Shoigu’s visit is also speculated to be part of preparations for Kim to visit Russia in the near future.
Putin had extended an invitation to Kim during his visit to Pyongyang last year.
Weapons development and military exercises
Earlier on Friday, KCNA reported that Kim had overseen the test-launch of new anti-aircraft missiles a day prior, describing them as “another major defence weapons system” for the country.
The missile tests, the sixth such weapons trial by North Korea this year, coincided with the conclusion of the US-South Korea annual military exercise, Freedom Shield.
The 11-day drill, which North Korea regards as a rehearsal for invasion, was the first major joint military exercise conducted by the allies since Trump’s inauguration in January.
Pyongyang often reacts to such exercises with missile tests and aggressive rhetoric.
On March 10, hours after the commencement of Freedom Shield, North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles into the sea.
In 2023, Shoigu—then serving as Russia’s defence minister—visited North Korea, where Kim personally escorted him through an arms exhibition, a move critics saw as a direct pitch for weapons sales.
Shoigu returned to Pyongyang in September 2024, in his capacity as Security Council secretary, to discuss expanding military cooperation with Kim.
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