North Korea’s Kim Deepens Russia Ties While Rejecting South Korean Overtures (Worthy News In-Depth)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

MOSCOW/PYONGYANG (Worthy News) – Amid mounting military cooperation, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed deepening ties with Russia in a message to President Vladimir Putin as Pyongyang marked the anniversary of “independence from Japan’s colonial rule,” state media reported Sunday.

However, Kim has declined to extend an olive branch to neighboring South Korea, where President Lee Jae Myung called for talks aimed at peaceful coexistence and replacing the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War with a “peace regime.”

The 1950-1953 Korean War ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty, meaning the two Koreas technically remain at war.

Lee said Seoul wanted safeguards to prevent another conflict and suggested negotiations could also explore ways of curbing Pyongyang’s expanding nuclear program.

North Korea has rejected South Korean overtures for engagement and criticized U.S.-South Korean military exercises as provocations.

KIM EMBRACES PUTIN

Kim instead emphasized his increasingly close relationship with Moscow while replying to a message of congratulations from Putin marking Saturday’s 81st anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War Two.

Putin said ties between Moscow and Pyongyang were forged as Soviet soldiers fought against Japan and that cooperation would continue “in all the sectors,” according to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim expressed hope for relations that had “carried forward the history of common struggle for justice and precious traditions of friendship.”

Yet Putin’s references to the defeat of Japan came amid renewed tensions with Tokyo after the Russian leader visited Iturup, one of four Russian-controlled islands off Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido that are also claimed by Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi condemned Putin’s visit as “absolutely unacceptable.” Japan regards the disputed islands as its Northern Territories, and the decades-old dispute has prevented Moscow and Tokyo from concluding a formal World War Two peace treaty.

NORTH KOREAN TROOPS

The diplomatic exchanges came as military cooperation between Russia and North Korea has expanded dramatically since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

North Korea has acknowledged deploying forces to Russia, while Putin has publicly praised North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian troops against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region.

About 14,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to the Kursk region in 2024, according to information cited by Reuters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this month that Pyongyang could send up to 50,000 additional troops to Russia, although that larger figure has not been independently confirmed.

North Korean weapons have also become increasingly important to Moscow’s war effort. Ukrainian officials say Russia has used North Korean ballistic missiles against targets in Ukraine, including in recent deadly attacks.

The military cooperation follows a comprehensive strategic partnership signed by Putin and Kim in 2024 that includes a mutual-defense commitment if either country faces armed aggression.

MILITARY COOPERATION GROWS

The partnership is also giving North Korean soldiers battlefield experience in modern warfare, raising concerns in South Korea and elsewhere that Pyongyang could receive Russian military technology and expertise in return.

A further symbol of the strengthening relationship arrived Saturday when the Russian training ship Pallada reached North Korea’s Wonsan port for a goodwill visit linked to the liberation anniversary.

North Korean provincial officials and Russian Embassy personnel welcomed the vessel, KCNA said.

Despite expanding military, diplomatic and trade cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, observers have seen little evidence that the relationship has substantially improved everyday life for most North Koreans.

Open Doors says everyday life remains extremely harsh under the autocratically ruled government, particularly for the country’s underground Christian community.

CHRISTIANS FACE PERSECUTION

North Korea ranks number 1 on Christian advocacy group Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution and discrimination, with a score of 97 out of 100.

Open Doors says Christians discovered by authorities can face imprisonment in notorious labor camps or execution, while family members can also face severe punishment.

The organization says Christianity is considered incompatible with the personality cult surrounding the ruling Kim dynasty, as loyalty and homage are expected to be directed toward the regime.

Yet Open Doors estimates that about 400,000 Christians remain in North Korea, largely practicing their faith underground despite the risks.

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