Kim Reaffirms North Korea’s “Fraternal Duty” to Support Russia

By Staff, Agencies

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged his country’s commitment to supporting Russia, describing assistance to Moscow as a “fraternal duty”.

The remarks came Wednesday during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, held on the sidelines of celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II.

“North Koreans view Russians as their brothers and see it as a fraternal duty to help the neighboring country in any way they can,” Kim told Putin.

He added: “As I mentioned during our previous meeting, if there is any way we can help Russia, we will certainly do so and consider it our fraternal duty”.

For his part, Putin expressed appreciation for North Korea’s military role in helping repel Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region last year, describing the effort as a “joint fight against present-day neo-Nazism”.

The two countries deepened their ties in June 2024 by signing a comprehensive cooperation treaty, which included provisions for mutual defense.

Just weeks later, Kiev launched an offensive into the Kursk Region, framing the operation as a bid to gain leverage in negotiations with Moscow.

By April 2025, Russia declared that Ukrainian forces had been expelled from the area, while for the first time officially acknowledging the role of North Korean troops in the battle. Moscow also announced plans to erect a monument in honor of the North Korean soldiers who were killed defending Russian territory.

Russia has repeatedly stated that the “de-Nazification” of Ukraine remains a central objective of its military campaign.

Moscow argues that Ukrainian nationalist groups with far-right ideologies and Nazi symbolism continue to wield influence, pointing to Kiev’s glorification of historical figures who collaborated with Nazi Germany and participated in atrocities against civilians during the Second World War.