POLITICS: North Korea ratifies landmark treaty with Russia 

A bilateral strategic security pact with Moscow calls for mutual assistance in the event of foreign aggression

North Korea has ratified a landmark strategic partnership agreement with Russia signed by the two countries’ leaders during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday.   

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a decree to ratify the treaty with Moscow on Monday, days after his Russian counterpart did the same, KCNA reported. The agreement takes effect when the two sides exchange the ratification documents, the news agency added. President Putin signed the document into law on Saturday, after both houses of Russia’s parliament voted to approve the treaty.  

The document ratifies the “Comprehensive Partnership Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, signed in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024.”   

The treaty comprises 23 articles and includes pledges by Russia and North Korea to assist each other in the event of foreign aggression. According to the agreement, the two countries will also “cooperate with each other to ensure lasting regional and international peace and security.”  

Article 4 of the document states that “if one of the parties is subjected to an armed attack by any state or several states and thus finds itself in a state of war, the other party will immediately provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter” and national legislation.  

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The mutual ratification comes shortly after North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui’s visit to Moscow earlier this month, during which she reaffirmed that North Korea will support Russia in the Ukraine conflict for as long as it takes.   

Ukraine and Western countries have long accused Pyongyang of supplying Moscow with artillery shells and missiles for use against Kiev’s forces. Last month, the US claimed that “at least 3,000” North Korean soldiers had entered eastern Russia, while South Korea’s spy agency, the NIS, alleged that Pyongyang had sent 1,500 troops to Russia for training. These soldiers “are expected to be deployed to the front lines once their adaptation training is completed,” the agency added.  

North Korea has denied the allegations, claiming they are an attempt to tarnish Pyongyang’s image. Putin has neither confirmed nor denied the claims, adding that the specifics of cooperation between the two countries are nobody else’s business. 

Earlier this month, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, noted that Moscow’s security cooperation with Pyongyang does not violate international law as it is not directed against third countries.