Kim Tells Putin He's 'Proud' of Strong DPRK-Russia Ties
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- Kim Jong Un told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a letter published Aug 16 that he was 'always proud' of the DPRK-Russia relationship and expressed 'firm belief' Russia would defend its 'territorial integrity' under Putin's 'wise leadership'
- Putin's Aug 14 letter to Kim — marking Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule — declared bilateral relations had reached an 'unprecedentedly high level of comprehensive strategic partnership' and said the two states were 'actively cooperating in all the sectors'
- Since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, North Korea has become a key Kremlin ally, sending troops to support Moscow's war effort in return for economic benefits and military technology, according to analysts cited
- Ukraine accused Moscow in August of launching North Korean ballistic missiles in a strike that killed at least nine people and wounded dozens, allegations that preceded the publicized letter exchange
- Kyiv has also claimed up to 50,000 North Korean troops are due to deploy to Russia, though it provided no evidence or deployment timeframe
- President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Seoul to supply air defense systems to protect against Russian missiles — a request that has gone unanswered by South Korea, per the dispatch
Why it matters: The effusive letter exchange lands as Ukraine publicly attributes a missile strike that killed at least nine people to North Korean weaponry, and Kyiv claims up to 50,000 North Korean troops are headed to Russia. The diplomatic warmth between Pyongyang and Moscow is now directly entangled with South Korea's calculation on whether to provide Kyiv with air defense systems — a request Seoul has so far left unanswered.
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