North Korea’s Kim Says Military Ties with Russia Will ‘Advance Non-Stop’; Stronger Military-Technical Cooperation Announced, Deepening Alignment Between the Two Nations Despite US and Allied Concerns. Pyongyang, North Korea/Moscow, Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed that the “military brotherhood” between Pyongyang and Moscow will “advance non-stop,” solidifying a rapidly accelerating alignment that is sending waves of concern across the United States and its East Asian allies.
The statement, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) today, underscores a commitment to robust and long-term military-technical cooperation between the two heavily sanctioned nations.
Kim’s remarks were delivered at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new memorial dedicated to North Korean soldiers who reportedly fought alongside Russian troops in Russia’s Kursk region during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The event served as a high-profile public acknowledgement of North Korea’s direct military support for Russia’s invasion and the deepening solidarity between the two leaders, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin.
Headline Points
• Stronger Military-Technical Cooperation Announced: Russia’s State Duma today ratified a comprehensive strategic partnership with North Korea, which includes a mutual defence clause obligating immediate military and other assistance if either party is attacked.
• Deepening Alignment Between the Two Nations: Kim described the relationship as a “militant fraternity” that has reached its “historic peak,” with both countries fighting “in the same trench for the same purpose” and sharing the same destiny.
• US and Allied Concerns Over Security Implications: Western powers and their allies, particularly South Korea and Japan, are gravely concerned that in return for providing troops and massive quantities of munitions, Russia is transferring advanced military technology, including space and nuclear capabilities, to Pyongyang.
New Alliance Ratified
The rhetoric from Pyongyang has been backed by concrete legal action in Moscow. Today, Russia’s State Duma officially ratified the “Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Signed by Presidents Putin and Kim in June, the treaty contains a critical fourth article mandating immediate military assistance should either country face an armed attack.
This mutual defence pact, coupled with North Korea’s proven provision of massive quantities of artillery ammunition, rockets, and ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, has alarmed Western intelligence.
South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence estimates suggest that North Korea has deployed over 10,000 troops to the conflict and is now providing up to 40% of Russia’s ammunition supply, receiving in return vital military technology.
Regional Security Concerns
For the United States, South Korea, and Japan, the deepening alignment presents a grave threat.
Experts from the Brookings Institution and the Atlantic Council warn that Russian technical assistance could significantly accelerate North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities, including its ability to develop sophisticated delivery systems and space assets.
The partnership, now effectively a formal military alliance, not only bolsters Kim Jong Un’s sense of “elevated global standing” but also undermines regional stability.
The new axis—which is often discussed alongside Iran and China as an anti-US bloc—is seen as emboldening Pyongyang and reducing its incentive to return to denuclearisation dialogue with Washington.
As President Trump prepares for a major Asia swing next week, which will include a stop in rival South Korea, the newly solidified military brotherhood between Pyongyang and Moscow threatens to become the region’s most intractable security challenge.
