North Korea's Kim, hosting Lavrov, says he will support Russia to resolve Ukraine, Asia News
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was on a three-day visit to North Korea, which has provided troops and arms for Russia's war in Ukraine and has pledged more military support as Moscow tries to make advances in the conflict.
Kim met Lavrov in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan where the two countries' foreign ministers held their second strategic dialogue, pledging further co-operation under a partnership treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defence pact.
Kim told Lavrov the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics will contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported.
"Kim Jong-un reaffirmed the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis," KCNA said.
Lavrov earlier held talks with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Wonsan, and they issued a joint statement pledging support to safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other's country, KCNA said.
Later on Sunday, North Korea's Defence Ministry said in a statement it stood ready to take military action to counter any security threat, in a warning against South Korea, Japan and the United States following a recent aerial drill by the allies.
The warning followed a US B-52 strategic bomber flight near South Korea flanked by the three countries' fighter jets in a defence exercise on Friday. The nuclear-armed North has previously issued similar threats.
On Saturday, Lavrov described Russian-North Korean ties as "an invincible fighting brotherhood" in his meeting with Kim and thanked him for the troops deployed to Russia, according to Russian media.
Relations between Russia and North Korea have deepened during the last two years of the war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022, with Pyongyang deploying more than 10,000 troops and arms to Russia to back Moscow's military campaign.
On Sunday, the intelligence arm of South Korea's Defence Ministry reported to parliament that North Korea continued to supply artillery ammunition to Russia and has so far shipped about 12 million rounds, Yonhap news said.
The Defence Intelligence Agency, which made the report of an increased estimate, could not be reached for confirmation.
Kim's government has pledged to send about 6,000 military engineers and builders to help reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region.
[[nid:720137]]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Russia's night attack on Kyiv leaves eight injured, including child, Ukraine says
KYIV - A Russian overnight air attack on Kyiv wounded eight residents of an apartment building, including a three-year-old child, authorities in the Ukrainian capital said on Monday. Four of those injured in the attack, which took place soon after midnight on Monday, have been hospitalised, with one person in serious condition, the head of Kyiv's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said on the Telegram messaging app. Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that all of the people were residents of a multi-storey apartment building in the city's Darnytskyi district on the left bank of the Dnipro River. "The blast wave damaged windows from the 6th to the 11th floor," Klitschko said in a post on Telegram. The capital and most of Ukraine were under air raid alerts for several hours overnight following Ukrainian Air Force warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks. With the threat of missile strikes on western parts of Ukraine that border Poland - a NATO member - Polish armed forces scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace. The central Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi came under an attack, regional Governor Andriy Raikovych said, adding that emergency services were working on the site and information about potential damage will be released later on Monday. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole backfilled; road to be repaved after LTA tests Singapore Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole did not happen overnight: Experts Singapore Authorities say access to Changi intertidal areas unaffected by reclamation, in response to petition Singapore SIA flights between S'pore and Cambodia, S'pore and Thailand, operating normally amid border dispute Singapore Police statements by doctor in fake vaccine case involving Iris Koh allowed in court: Judge Singapore New Mandai North Crematorium, ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15 Singapore Not feasible for S'pore to avoid net‑zero; all options to cut energy emissions on table: Tan See Leng Singapore With regional interest in nuclear energy rising, S'pore must build capabilities too: Tan See Leng The full scale of the Russian attack on Ukraine was not immediately known. Reuters' witnesses heard loud blasts shaking the city of Kyiv overnight in what sounded like air defence units in operation. There was no comment from Russia on the attack. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their strikes in the war that Russia started in February 2022. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian. REUTERS
AsiaOne
5 hours ago
- AsiaOne
North Korea says South Korea's overtures 'great miscalculation', Asia News
SEOUL — North Korea has no interest in any policy or proposals for reconciliation from South Korea, the powerful sister of its leader Kim Jong-un said on Monday (July 28) in the first response to South Korean liberal President Lee Jae-myung's peace overtures. Kim Yo-jong, who is a senior North Korean ruling party official and is believed to speak for the country's leader, said Lee's pledge of commitment to South Korea-US security alliance shows he is no different from his hostile predecessor. "If South Korea expects to reverse all the consequences of (its actions) with a few sentimental words, there could be no greater miscalculation than that," Kim said in comments carried by official KCNA news agency. Lee, who took office on June 4 after winning a snap election called after the removal of hardline conservative Yoon Suk-yeol over a failed attempt at martial law, has vowed to improve ties with Pyongyang that had reached the worst level in years. As gestures aimed at easing tensions, Lee suspended loudspeaker broadcasts blasting anti-North propaganda across the border and banned the flying of leaflets by activists that had angered Pyongyang. Kim, the North Korean official, said those moves are merely a reversal of ill-intentioned activities by South Korea that should never have been initiated in the first place. "In other words, it's not even something worth our assessment," she said. "We again make clear the official position that whatever policy is established in Seoul or proposal is made, we are not interested, and we will not be sitting down with South Korea and there is nothing to discuss." There has been cautious optimism in the South that the North may respond positively and may even show willingness to re-engage in dialogue, particularly after Pyongyang also shut off its loudspeakers, a move Lee said was quicker than expected. Still, Lee, whose government is in the midst of tough negotiations with Washington to avert punishing tariffs that President Donald Trump has threatened against a string of major trading partners, has said US alliance is the pillar of South Korea's diplomacy. "Through efforts in the areas of politics, economic security and culture, we will strengthen the South Korea-US alliance that was sealed in blood," Lee said in remarks commemorating the anniversary of the Korean War armistice on Sunday. North Korea also marked the anniversary which it calls victory day with events including a parade in Pyongyang, although state media reports indicated it was at a relatively lesser scale compared to some previous years. The two Koreas, the United States and China, which are the main belligerents in the 1950-53 Korean War, have not signed a peace treaty. [[nid:720655]]
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
North Korea says South Korea's overtures ‘great miscalculation'
Ms Kim Yo Jong said South Korea President Lee Jae Myung's pledge of commitment to South Korea-US security alliance shows he is no different from his predecessor. SEOUL - North Korea has no interest in any policy or proposals for reconciliation from South Korea, the powerful sister of its leader Kim Jong Un said on July 28 in the first response to South Korean liberal President Lee Jae Myung's peace overtures. Ms Kim Yo Jong, who is a senior North Korean ruling party official and is believed to speak for the country's leader, said Mr Lee's pledge of commitment to South Korea-US security alliance shows he is no different from his hostile predecessor. 'If South Korea expects to reverse all the consequences of (its actions) with a few sentimental words, there could be no greater miscalculation than that,' Ms Kim said in comments carried by official KCNA news agency. Mr Lee, who took office on June 4 after winning a snap election called after the removal of hardline conservative Yoon Suk Yeol over a failed attempt at martial law, has vowed to improve ties with Pyongyang that had reached the worst level in years. In one measure aimed at easing tensions, Mr Lee suspended loudspeaker broadcasts blasting anti-North propaganda across the border and banned the flying of leaflets by activists that had angered Pyongyang. Ms Kim, the North Korean official, said those moves are merely a reversal of ill-intentioned activities by South Korea that should never have been initiated in the first place. 'In other words, it's not even something worth our assessment,' she said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Sewage shaft failure linked to sinkhole; PUB calling safety time-out on similar works islandwide Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole World Three dead, several injured after train derails in Germany Singapore Not feasible for S'pore to avoid net‑zero; all options to cut energy emissions on table: Tan See Leng Singapore With regional interest in nuclear energy rising, S'pore must build capabilities too: Tan See Leng Business State-sponsored hackers eye Singapore's businesses for cyber ransom payoffs Singapore New Mandai North Crematorium, ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15 World US and EU clinch deal with broad 15% tariffs on EU goods to avert trade war 'We again make clear the official position that whatever policy is established in Seoul or proposal is made, we are not interested, and we will not be sitting down with South Korea and there is nothing to discuss.' REUTERS
