DPRK FM stresses need to strengthen nuclear arsenal, perfect readiness
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The DPRK has expressed faith and confidence in Russia amid the war in Ukraine, stressing that it would support it until victory is achieved.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, right, and DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui attend an unveiling ceremony of the plaque to mark Kim Il Sung's 1949 visit to USSR, Moscow, Russia, November 1, 2024 (AP)
The DPRK will stand by Russia until it triumphs in Ukraine, Pyongyang’s foreign minister said during her visit to Moscow on November 1.
DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui made her visit as the United States claims that the DPRK was training and deploying up to 10,000 troops to fight alongside the Russian Armed Forces as the war in Ukraine nears its three-year mark.
US intelligence reports claimed that some of these troops have reached the Kursk border area, prompting warnings from Washington and Seoul for the DPRK to withdraw its forces.
However, the foreign minister expressed her nation's unwavering confidence in the "wise leadership" of President Vladimir Putin, referring to Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine as a "sacred struggle".
Meanwhile, Son Hui told her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov following talks, "We will always stand firmly by our Russian comrades until victory day."
Greeting her, Lavrov spoke of the "very close ties" between the two countries' militaries and said this enabled them to solve important security tasks together.
"We are deeply grateful to our Korean friends for their principled position regarding the events that have now unfolded in Ukraine as a result of the West's course of advancing NATO to the east and encouraging an openly racist regime to exterminate everything Russian," Lavrov said.
"Very close contacts have been established between the military of the two countries and along the security services line - this also allows us to solve practically significant and important tasks for the security of our and your citizens."
Choe said the two countries needed to keep deepening their ties under a treaty signed by their leaders in June, which includes a mutual defense clause.
She also pledged that the DPRK will continue expanding its nuclear arsenal, only one day after the DPRK test-fired one of its newest and most powerful missiles for the first time.
Choe, who said the situation on the Korean Peninsula could become "explosive" at any moment, told Lavrov that the country needed to strengthen its nuclear arsenal and perfect its readiness to deliver a retaliatory nuclear strike if necessary, noting that, in televised comments and speaking through an interpreter, she accused the US and South Korea of plotting a nuclear strike against her country.
Russia-DPRK activities within international law
Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, suggested that the DPRK's recent missile launch may have been intended to distract from international criticism regarding its alleged troop deployment.
South Korea has accused the DPRK of supplying weapons to Russia amid its conflict with Ukraine and has noted a significant troop buildup following Kim Jong Un's defense agreement with Vladimir Putin. This deployment is viewed as a "significant security threat," with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urging Pyongyang to withdraw its troops.
In this context, a spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Seoul stated last week that cooperation between Russia and DPRK is in line with international law and not directed against South Korea's security interests.
According to the spokesperson, "Cooperation between the Russian Federation and North Korea is carried out within the framework of international law and is not directed against the security interests of the Republic of Korea."
