Russia, North Korean Foreign Ministers Meet in Moscow: Bilateral Updates

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Choe Son-hui, the Foreign Minister of North Korea (DPRK), who is in Moscow on a working visit.

During the talks, the ministers discussed current issues concerning the development of bilateral relations, including practical cooperation, with particular focus on the implementation of the agreements reached during the talks between President Vladimir Putin and Chairman of State Affairs of the DPRK Kim Jong-un in June 2024 in Pyongyang.

The ministers reaffirmed their strong commitment to fulfilling the provisions of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, signed by the two leaders following the Pyongyang Summit.

When discussing the current international situation, the ministers expressed a shared view that the main source of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, in Northeast Asia, and globally lies in the aggressive actions of the United States and its allies. Russia expressed its full support for the measures taken by the DPRK leadership to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and ensure its national security.

The results of the talks will give a significant boost to the development and strengthening of traditionally friendly Russian-North Korean relations, which have reached a new level of alliance. While details have been kept secret for now, there are indications that Russia and North Korea may be negotiating a free trade agreement.

The two ministers also met a day earlier at the 3rd International Conference on Eurasian Security held in Minsk. This is what Lavrov had to say at that meeting:

“Your and our participation in this important conference will, without a doubt, contribute to the advancement of our shared goal of building a just world order in Eurasia and elsewhere.

I often think back to the event at the magnificent resort of Wonsan Kalma held in July as part of the second round of the Russian-Korean strategic dialogue. In the three and a half months since then, our relations have gotten a powerful boost, building on our respective leaders’ fundamental agreements during the Pyongyang Summit in June 2024.

More objectives were set forth during the latest meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un in Beijing.

During the visit, an agreement was reached to establish a high-level bilateral interparliamentary commission which is another important mechanism that will serve to promote our strategic partnership The 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, marked on October 10, was widely covered in Russia as well. A representative delegation led by United Russia Party Chairman Dmitry Medvedev took part in the celebrations.

I would like to once again express my gratitude to Chairman of State Affairs Comrade Kim Jong-un for the attention accorded to Dmitry Medvedev and his delegation.

During these contacts in Pyongyang, our representatives repeatedly reaffirmed the high praise and appreciation expressed by President Vladimir Putin during his communication with Comrade Kim Jong-un for his strong support of the actions that Russia was forced to take in response to our Western “colleagues’” attempts to turn the Kiev regime into an ever-present threat to the Russian Federation and a launching pad for destroying everything Russian.

Russia will never forget the heroic feats performed by the soldiers and officers of the Korean People’s Army in the Kursk Region to liberate Russian soil. These heroic deeds will undoubtedly further strengthen the bonds of friendship and historic alliance in our shared quest for justice.

On October 23, at the invitation of Comrade Kim Jong-un and alongside the leader of the DPRK and senior officials of the party and government, the staff of the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang led by Ambassador Alexander Matsegora, participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for building a memorial dedicated to the heroes of the Kursk Liberation Operation.

In conjunction with their Korean friends, Russian experts, architects, and sculptors are deeply involved in developing and implementing this major project. I have no doubt that it will be unveiled in February 2026 as planned.

I look forward to continuing the discussion on key bilateral issues today. We will certainly review the international situation, the situation in your region and the Eurasian region more broadly, our close interaction, and the coordination of our efforts at the UN and other multilateral venues.”

Russia-North Korea trade data is kept secret, but given the expanding military cooperation ties, including the provision of DPRK military personnel and weapons to Russia, as well as Russian exports of military equipment, this is likely to run into tens of billions of dollars and surpass Russia’s trade with South Korea. Also of note are North Korea’s rare earths, metallurgy, and manufacturing industry sectors.