North Korea’s Kim Says Relations With Russia Will ‘Advance Nonstop’

The military relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang will “advance nonstop,” North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un pledged Friday.

“The years of militant fraternity, in which a guarantee has been provided for the long-term development of the bilateral friendship at the cost of precious blood, will advance nonstop,” Kim said at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new memorial to honor the lives of North Korean soldiers who have fought with Russian troops in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.  

Kim acknowledged the “families of the martyrs and the soldiers who fought in the operations for liberating Kursk” during the ceremony, also acknowledging the presence of recovered wounded soldiers and “dear Russian friend,” according to KCNA Watch, an aggregator of North Korean media.

Russia lost control of portions of its Kursk region in 2024 following a surprise Ukrainian incursion. Russia claimed it fully regained the territory in April.  

The U.S. confirmed in October 2024 that North Korea had sent troops to Russia, with then Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin calling the move a “serious issue.”  

The bond between Russia and North Korea has been “forged at the cost of blood,” Kim said, adding that sending troops to the Kursk region a year ago “marked the beginning of a new history of militant solidarity between [North Korea] and Russia.” 

“Long live the invincible [North Korea]-Russia friendship,” Kim said as he concluded his speech.  

In June, The New York Times reported that North Korea was not only sending troops to Russia, but also construction workers to rebuild parts of war-torn Russia.  

President Donald Trump leaves the White House on Friday night for a multistop trip to Asia. South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-Young says Trump and Kim “should not miss this opportunity” to meet, the Yonhap news agency of South Korea reported.  

Trump and Kim met in person a number of times during Trump’s first administration, including at the Demilitarized Zone in 2019, making Trump the first sitting U.S. president to enter the buffer zone between the two Koreas. There are no formal plans for Trump and Kim to meet during Trump’s visit to Asia next week.  

Trump will arrive in Malaysia on Sunday to meet with its prime minister and is scheduled to participate in a ceasefire-deal signing between Thailand and Cambodia.  

Trump will then visit Japan to meet with that nation’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, before traveling to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Trump is also scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, during which trade negotiations are expected to take center stage.  

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