North Korea has ratified the mutual defence treaty with Russia signed by the leaders of the two countries – Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin – in June, hailing it as a step to make bilateral relations more like an “alliance” and stipulating that the two sides will come to each other’s aid in case of an armed attack, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday, the 12th of November, according to Reuters.
The announcement comes amid international criticism of the growing military cooperation between the countries, with North Korea sending tens of thousands of troops to Russia to support its the war in Ukraine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a decree ratifying the treaty on Monday, KCNA said, adding that the pact would enter into force when the two sides exchange ratification documents.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also completed the ratification of the “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement”, signing it last week.
It provides that the two countries “shall immediately provide military and other assistance by all available means” if either side is in a state of war, thus legally allowing North Korean soldiers to engage in combat on Russian territory, specifically in the Kursk region.
Seoul, Washington and Kyiv have said that more than 10 000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia, and US officials and the Ukrainian defence minister have said that some of them have taken part in the fighting in Kursk.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that North Korean soldiers had suffered in battles with his country’s armed forces and that the first fighting between them “opens a new chapter of instability in the world”.
North Korea ratifies mutual defence treaty with Russia
