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Liberation Day Messages
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed deepening ties with Russia in a message to President Vladimir Putin as Pyongyang marked the 81st anniversary of independence from Japan’s colonial rule, with KCNA reporting the reply to Putin’s congratulatory message on Saturday’s 81st anniversary of Tokyo’s surrender in World War Two.
“cooperation would continue "in all the sectors"”
Reuters said Putin’s message traced the relationship to when Soviet soldiers fought against Japan and that cooperation would continue "in all the sectors".
Reuters also reported that Pyongyang and Moscow have grown closer since the reclusive state began deploying troops and weapons to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, described as Pyongyang’s most significant involvement in a war since the 1950s.
KCNA, as carried by Chosunbiz, said Kim visited the Liberation Tower on Aug. 14 and laid flowers while accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae, and Kim told Putin that "The excellent history and tradition, and the blood ties between the DPRK and Russia" are the cornerstone of current relations.
Dialogue vs Alliance
South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung urged dialogue with North Korea for peaceful coexistence during a Liberation Day ceremony in Seoul, telling Reuters that the two Koreas need safeguards to prevent conflict and should work to replace their armistice with a "peace regime".
Reuters reported that Pyongyang rejected Lee’s initiatives and criticized U.S.-South Korea military exercises as provocations, while the same Reuters account said Putin’s Thursday visit to an island off Hokkaido drew Tokyo’s condemnation.
In parallel, Chosunbiz described Putin’s congratulatory message as stressing a bilateral "joint project," which it said appears to suggest the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia.
Chosunbiz also quoted Russian Minister of Defense Andrei Belousov saying, "This fall, we will erect a monument in Kursk to honor the heroic deeds of North Korean and Russian soldiers," linking the alliance rhetoric to a concrete reference to Kursk.
What’s at Stake Next
The messages and visits come as the relationship is framed by multiple outlets as moving toward long-term partnership, with Reuters saying Kim expressed hope for the future of ties that had "carried forward the history of common struggle for justice and the cherished traditions of friendship".
“"carried forward the history of common struggle for justice"”
Yonhap reported that Kim told Putin he is "always proud" to lead the ties between the DPRK and Russia and expressed a "firm conviction" that Russia will defend "its territorial integrity" under Putin’s leadership.
In the background of the Ukraine war, the Global Banking & Finance Review account said Pyongyang and Moscow have grown closer since Pyongyang began deploying troops and weapons to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, and it added that the Russian ship Pallada arrived at Wonsan port on Saturday for a goodwill visit.
Chosunbiz further tied the partnership to the 2024 "Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" and said it was signed during a summit between Kim Jong Un and President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024, with the treaty stipulating that if either country is faced with an armed invasion and placed in a state of war, the other shall provide military assistance without delay.
