N. Korea's Kim calls ties with Russia 'indestructible, genuine' relationship of comrades-in-arms, alliance
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, meets with Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on June 4 in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Yonhap
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said ties between North Korea and Russia have developed into an "indestructible, genuine" relationship between comrades-in-arms and an alliance, state media reported Thursday.
Kim made the remarks in a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia Day, which falls on June 12, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Russia Day marks the 1990 adoption by the Russian parliament of the declaration of state sovereignty of the Russian Federation.
The North's leader said the North Korea-Russia friendship has been further "cemented" due to the military comradeship the two nations' troops have forged at the cost of their blood during Russia's war against Ukraine.
"It has developed into an excellent model of indestructible, genuine relationship between comrades-in-arms and alliance," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA.
Kim said his country has an "unshakeable" will to steadfastly develop the bilateral ties between the two nations, vowing to "stand with" Russia and its people.
The message also came ahead of the first anniversary of the signing of a mutual defense treaty between Kim and Putin on June 19 last year. The treaty, signed after the Kim-Putin summit in Pyongyang, calls for providing military assistance "without delay" if either side comes under attack.
Since October last year, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia to fight alongside Russian forces against Ukraine. In April, the North acknowledged the troop deployment for the first time.