North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui visited Russia on January 16, 2024 for talks with her counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on expanding ties between their countries. The meeting was also attended by President Vladimir Putin, who expressed his intention to visit North Korea on Kim Jong Un’s invitation.
The talks focused on implementing the agreements reached by the leaders of Russia and North Korea during Kim’s visit to Russia in September 2023, which raised international concerns about a potential arms cooperation deal between Pyongyang and Moscow.
Both Russia and North Korea have denied the accusations of North Korean arms transfers to Russia. Russia also praised North Korea’s support for its military action in Ukraine. The visit was seen as a sign of deepening economic, political, and military ties between the two countries amid Russia’s international isolation over its war in Ukraine.
