North Korea says it is “ready to receive” Vladimir Putin
North Korea is “ready to receive the Korean people’s closest friend with the greatest sincerity”, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui told Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow, according to a statement from her office published by the official KCNA agency on Sunday morning. Mme Choe was in the Russian capital last week to meet with the Russian president and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Pyongyang and Moscow have recently strengthened their ties, notably with a rare visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the Russian Far East in September 2023, after which Mr. Kim invited the Russian president to go to North Korea.
Mr. Putin expressed “his desire to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea soon”, specifies the press release relayed by KCNA. According to this same document, Russia transmitted to North Korea its “deep thanks (…) for providing full support and solidarity to the position of the Russian government and people regarding the special military operation in Ukraine”.
Senior Russian officials, including defense and foreign ministers, visited North Korea in 2023, raising fears of a potential arms deal. The White House recently accused Pyongyang of delivering ballistic missiles and launchers to Russia.
Seoul, for its part, accused North Korea of providing more than a million artillery munitions to Moscow in exchange for intelligence and assistance regarding military satellite technology. In November 2023, Pyongyang managed to put one of these spy devices into orbit.