Kim Jong Un, the Leader of North Korea, met with Russian Minister of Natural Resources Aleksandr Kozlov this week to discuss deepening economic and scientific cooperation between the two nations, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). This marks the latest development in the growing ties between North Korea and Russia, particularly in the wake of North Korea’s involvement in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Kozlov, who arrived in North Korea on Sunday, led a delegation at the 11th North Korea-Russia Trade, Economic, and Scientific Cooperation Committee session. The discussions centered on expanding trade, economic partnerships, and scientific exchanges. On Monday, a separate Russian delegation from the Military Academy of the General Staff, led by General Vladimir Zarudnitsky, also visited Pyongyang, intensifying military ties. Senior North Korean military officials, including Sun Woo Jung Chan, the Deputy Chancellor of Kim Il Sung Military University, and the Russian Defense Attaché to North Korea, greeted the group.
These meetings come as North Korean forces are reportedly active in combat zones in Ukraine, signaling closer military cooperation between the two nations. Experts suggest that the discussions between North Korean and Russian military officials likely focused on collaboration between their military educational institutions. In addition to these military engagements, a delegation from the Pyongyang City Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, led by Party Secretary Ri Myong Chol, departed for Russia on the same day.
In a related development, Kim Jong Un hosted Kozlov at the Workers’ Party headquarters, where the two leaders discussed the strategic direction of North Korea-Russia relations. Kim emphasized the importance of expanding government-level cooperation, particularly in trade, science, and technology, to boost the mutual prosperity of both nations. “We must continue to broaden and diversify our economic, scientific, and trade cooperation,” Kim said, stressing that this would elevate their bilateral ties to new strategic heights.
North Korean state media released photos showing Kim Jong Un greeting Kozlov outside the Workers’ Party headquarters with a handshake and a brief conversation. This visit comes after a similar diplomatic exchange in November, when Russian President Vladimir Putin warmly welcomed North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui at the Kremlin, further strengthening the growing relationship between the two countries.
As international support for Ukraine, particularly from the United States and its allies, continues to intensify, North Korea and Russia have both issued a series of increasingly provocative statements. Reflecting the rising tensions, the Korean Central News Agency recently stated, “The so-called era of trilateral cooperation between the U.S., Japan, and South Korea is turning into an era of trilateral destruction.”
This provocative rhetoric underscores the strengthening of ties between North Korea and Russia, which is likely to raise concerns among the U.S. and its allies, who are already wary of the growing military and economic cooperation between the two countries, particularly as the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate.