Relationship with North Korea is developing ‘as planned’, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday (October 27, 2025) that his country’s ties with North Korea were developing “as planned”, as he hosted North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in the Kremlin.

Ms. Choe passed on “warm wishes” from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after she had earlier hailed the “spiritual closeness” between Moscow and Pyongyang during a meeting with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

The visit is the latest in a flurry of diplomatic exchanges between the two countries and comes just days after Mr. Kim pledged to advance military ties with Moscow.

Here’s what we know about relations between the two countries:

North Korea, one of the world’s most diplomatically isolated nations, has deepened cooperation with Russia since Mr. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia and North Korea signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2024 that obliges either side to provide “military and other assistance” should the other be attacked.

In late 2024, North Korea sent thousands of soldiers and container loads of weapons to help Russia push Ukrainian forces out of its western Kursk region.

At least 600 North Korean soldiers died during that offensive and thousands more sustained injuries, according to South Korean estimates.

Moscow and Pyongyang spent months denying and ignoring Western reports of the deployment.

Only in April, when Russia declared it had expelled Kyiv’s forces, did Mr. Putin publicly acknowledge the role of the “heroic” North Koreans who fought alongside his army.

North Korea also acknowledged the deployment and, for the first time since its founding in 1948, acknowledged it had lost soldiers on foreign soil.

Earlier this month, North Korean state media reported that the country had started construction of a memorial for soldiers killed in the fighting.

The United States says there is evidence Russia is stepping up its support for North Korea, including providing help on advanced space and satellite technology.

Ukraine says it has found fragments of North Korean weapons including missiles on the battlefield.

‘Closest comrade’

Russia and North Korea have enjoyed historically close ties since the Soviet era.

The USSR was the first country to recognise North Korea in 1948 and provided military support to Pyongyang during the Korean War.

North Korea was one of only five UN countries to vote against condemning Russia’s offensive on Ukraine in 2022 and has since expressed support for Moscow’s territorial claims over five southern and eastern Ukrainian regions.

Mr. Kim and Mr. Putin have also repeatedly exchanged warm words.

In birthday messages, Mr. Kim has referred to Mr. Putin as his “closest comrade”.

Trade and tourism

In April, the two countries began constructing the first road bridge between them.

And in July, Russia launched direct commercial flights between Moscow and Pyongyang amid increasing numbers of officials and delegations shuttling between the two capitals.

Earlier this year, North Korea opened a massive tourist zone on its east coast that has welcomed Russian visitors.

North Korea is one of the world’s most closed nations, regularly criticised by rights groups for its repressive policies and outlawing of dissent.

The United Nations said last month that the past decade inside the country had been marked by “increased suffering, repression and fear”.