North Korea ratifies landmark defense pact with Russia

North Korea ratifies landmark defense pact with Russia
by Thomas Maresca
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 12, 2024

North Korea ratified a defense treaty with Russia, state media reported Tuesday, formally deepening military cooperation that has seen Pyongyang send thousands of troops to help Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

The "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty was ratified on Monday by a decree from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, state-run Korean Central News Agency said. It was originally signed in June during a state visit to Pyongyang by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia earlier completed its own ratification of the pact, with Putin signing it into law on Saturday after approval by the upper house of Russian parliament last week.

"In the event that either party is in a state of war as a result of armed aggression by individual or multiple states, the other side shall provide military and other assistance without delay by all means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the U.N. Charter," the agreement states.

The U.N. Charter's Article 51 stipulates "the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations."

The pact also promises "the expansion and development of cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, investment and science and technology."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said last week that the treaty reflects "a new geopolitical situation, which has emerged after 2022," according to Russian news agency TASS, pointing to deepening military ties between the United States and South Korea.

U.S. policy "involves flooding [the Korean Peninsula] with weapons, deploying new cutting-edge systems there, including with a nuclear component, and forming new military and political alliances," Rudenko said.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, confirmed last week that around 10,000 North Korean troops are massing in the Kursk region of southwest Russia, where Ukrainian forces have occupied hundreds of square miles since an incursion in August.

On Sunday, Ukraine's military intelligence said it intercepted what it claims are radio communications between North Korean soldiers in Russia amid media reports of a massive troop buildup ahead of an attack. The New York Times, citing U.S. and Ukrainian officials, reported that Russian troops are amassing 50,000 soldiers, including North Koreans, to launch an imminent assault to regain territory.

South Korean officials have raised concerns that Moscow may be sharing missile and nuclear technology with Pyongyang in exchange for the troop deployment.

Seoul's military intelligence said Monday that North Korea's new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile, test-fired on Oct. 31, could have been developed with Russian technical assistance.