Russia's great ally, the North Korean leader has pledged to help Moscow achieve victory in its "sacred war", state media reported Monday.
Published on: 04/27/2026 - 08:25 Modified on: 04/27/2026 - 10:35
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed Pyongyang's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, pledging to help Moscow achieve victory in its "sacred war", state media reported Monday (April 27).
This statement comes as a series of senior Russian officials have visited Pyongyang in recent days, including Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, who spoke with Kim Jong-un on Sunday.
North Korea "will as always fully support the Russian Federation's policy of defending national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests," Kim Jong-un told Andrei Belousov, according to the North Korean news agency KCNA.
The leader expressed his "conviction that the Russian army and people will undoubtedly achieve victory in this sacred and just war."
The two parties indicated that they had discussed strengthening military ties, with Andrei Beloussov specifying that Moscow was ready to sign a cooperation plan covering the period 2027-2031.
Kim Jong-un, Andrei Belousov and the speaker of the Duma – the Russian Parliament – Vyacheslav Volodin, also attended the inauguration of a memorial in honor of North Korean soldiers killed in Ukraine.
"Bloody Battles"
The ceremony was marked by a concert, fireworks and a flypast.
The audience was moved by the depictions of "bloody battles", but also "death-defying hand-to-hand combat and heroic and suicidal explosions chosen without hesitation by the young soldiers", KCNA reported.
North Korea has sent thousands of troops, as well as missiles and munitions, to support Russia in its war against Ukraine. South Korea estimates that around 2,000 North Koreans have been killed in the conflict.
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In return, experts say, North Korea receives financial aid, military technology, as well as food and energy resources from Russia, allowing Pyongyang to circumvent heavy international sanctions on its banned nuclear programs.
In 2024, the two countries signed a military treaty obliging each state to provide military assistance "without delay" in the event of an attack against the other.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Monday it was "the destiny of both the South and the North to make the flowers of peace bloom."
Lee Jae-myung pledged to act "proactively" to rebuild trust with Pyongyang. "We hope the North will trust the sincerity of our government and respond in kind," he added.
With AFP
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