Russia deepens ties with North Korea as trade officials arrive for talks

North Korean Premier Kim Tok-hun (center) talks with Roman Chekushov, Russia's Vice Minister of Industry and Trade and other officials at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang on Aug. 27, 2024, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the following day.

SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Russian officials arrived in North Korea for talks, the isolated country's state media reported on Wednesday.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a Russian delegation led by Roman Chekushov, Vice Minister of Industry and Trade, met with North Korean Premier Kim Tok-hun and other officials to discuss expanding economic cooperation.

Their meeting is the latest development in the rapidly strengthening military and economic ties between the two allies. The relationship deepened after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a comprehensive strategic partnership pact during a summit in Pyongyang in June.

The pact elevated their relationship to an alliance, ensuring mutual military support in the event of aggression against either country. Since then, the two countries have been actively exchanging high-level delegations.

The growing partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow has raised alarms in the West, particularly after reports indicated that North Korea has been supplying Russia with ammunition, including missiles and artillery shells, for use in its war against Ukraine.

U.S. Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder, in an online briefing Monday, criticized North Korea for supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, stating: "We know that Russia and North Korea have this burgeoning relationship, that they have provided capabilities, to include munitions, to Russia for employment in Ukraine, which, again, demonstrates the fact that North Korea is complicit in this illegal Russian invasion, and it's something that we're keeping a very close eye on."