North Korean leader vows stronger ties with Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reaffirmed his country's unwavering alignment with Russia, declaring that Pyongyang will "always be with Moscow."

Responding to President Vladimir Putin's congratulatory message on his re-election as president of the State Affairs Commission, Kim thanked the Russian president and described relations between the two nations as an "alliance of strong mutual support," the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Kim said: "Pyongyang will always be with Moscow. This is our choice and unshakable will."

Putin, in his message, also vowed to continue to work closely together to further develop the comprehensive strategic partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Kim was re-elected as president of the State Affairs Commission, the country's top governing body, during the first session of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly held in Pyongyang on Sunday.

North Korea and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024, pledging mutual military support if either comes under attack by a third party.

In August 2025, North Korea sent around 1,000 military engineers to Russia's Kursk region to assist Russian forces in clearing land mines planted during fighting with Ukrainian troops.

The deployment followed an earlier dispatch of an estimated 15,000 combat troops to support Russia's war effort, according to South Korea's spy agency, which claims Pyongyang lost 2,000 troops in the war.