North Korea pledges support for Russia amid deepening military ties

North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang-chol met with his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov on Wednesday and pledged Pyongyang’s support for Moscow, underscoring the growing alignment between the two countries.

North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang-chol, third from right, and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, fourth from left, attend an unveiling ceremony for a monument dedicated to the North Korean military in Moscow on Oct. 1. [KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY]

North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang-chol met with his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov on Wednesday and pledged Pyongyang’s support for Moscow, underscoring the growing alignment between the two countries.

On the same day, Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, suggested that North Korea is effectively a nuclear-armed state, a remark analysts see as further evidence of deepening North Korea-Russia ties.

No and Belousov attended the unveiling of a monument in Moscow Oblast commemorating North Korean guerrillas who fought alongside the Soviet Army during World War II, according to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday. The monument honors their role in the fight against Japan.

Belousov stressed that the statue symbolizes “invincible militant friendship” and that “the monument would make a great contribution to looking back upon the memory of the wartime generations and preserving the historical truth.”

“The two countries and peoples were closely united with warm affection of comrades-in-arms and friends in the bloody battles against the common enemy and this proud tradition has become the cornerstone of developing the DPRK-Russia relations into the ones of comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance,” said No, according to the KCNA, calling North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

“Only victory and glory are in store for the peoples of the two countries steadily strengthening militant friendship and solidarity.”

Aide to the President of Russia Vladimir Medinski, who was also present, praised the participation of North Korean fighters in Kursk as proof of the “common history” between Russia and North Korea.

The Russia Federation's Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzya, addresses members of the UN Security Council after casting his vote on a resolution that would permanently lift UN sanctions on Iran, at UN headquarters in New York City, Sept. 19. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Meanwhile, Nebenzya remarked during a press briefing as president of the UN Security Council that North Korea’s alleged status as a nuclear power is "a reality" and that it is already "in the constitution" of the North.

Nebenzya’s comments referred to North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong’s Monday speech at the UN General Assembly, in which he reiterated Pyongyang’s stance that it will not abandon its nuclear weapons.

Nebenzya went on to say that there is no need to recognize North Korea’s status because it's an "open secret," he said, responding to a question about whether Moscow recognizes a nuclear-armed North Korea.

Analysts interpreted the remark as placing North Korea in the same category as India and Pakistan, which are widely regarded as de facto nuclear powers. Observers also note that this rhetoric, coming after North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia in 2024, highlights the accelerating and broadening strategic partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY SHIM SEOK-YONG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]