North Korea has ratified a landmark mutual defense treaty with Russia, state media has announced, as international concern grows over increasing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea—North Korea’s official name—signed a decree to ratify the Treaty of Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships with Russia on Monday. The agreement will take effect when both sides exchange the ratification instruments, according to North Korea’s official news agency, KCNA.
How did this alliance develop?
The treaty, first signed in Pyongyang on June 19 during a lavish state visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, commits both countries to provide immediate military assistance using “all means” necessary if either faces “aggression.”
When he agreed to the accord with Putin in June, Kim Jong Un hailed the agreement as a step toward strengthening bilateral ties, describing it as a potential “alliance” between Russia and North Korea.
Russia’s parliament ratified the treaty on November 6, amid months of growing security cooperation with North Korea, including the reported transfer of weapons to Russia and the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
How many North Korean soldiers are involved?
South Korean, U.S., and Ukrainian intelligence have reported that at least 11,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia’s front lines to fight against Ukrainian forces. Most of these troops have been stationed in Russia’s Kursk region, a zone that has seen partial Ukrainian control following Kyiv’s surprise incursion in August.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Monday that Moscow has assembled a force of 50,000 soldiers in the Kursk region, including North Korean soldiers, preparing for a significant offensive to reclaim territory in the border area.
Moscow and Pyongyang have yet to comment directly on the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia. However, the move has raised concerns within the international community, particularly among NATO allies, about the expanded military alliance between the two countries.
