SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has formally approved a major defense treaty with Russia, as reported by the North’s state media on Tuesday. The treaty outlines mutual military aid, even as the U.S., South Korea, and Ukraine claim that North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.
Russia completed the ratification of the treaty last week, following its signing by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June. This treaty is considered the most significant defense agreement between the two nations since the Cold War’s end.
The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty will come into effect upon the exchange of ratification documents by both sides, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea ratified the treaty through a decree signed on Monday by the country’s president of state affairs, as per KCNA, referring to one of Kim’s titles.
North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People’s Assembly, has the authority to ratify treaties; however, Kim can unilaterally ratify major treaties, according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry.
The treaty mandates both countries to employ all available means to provide immediate military assistance if either is attacked. It also calls for active collaboration between the two countries in establishing a “just and multipolar new world order” and strengthening cooperation across various sectors, including peaceful atomic energy, space, food supply, trade, and the economy.
Some observers speculate that the ratification of the treaty in both countries could signal North Korea’s imminent formal entry into the Russia-Ukraine war.
Based on U.S., South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence assessments, up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia, likely as part of the June treaty. Last week, Ukrainian officials reported small-scale fighting between Ukrainian and North Korean troops, with Ukraine’s army firing artillery at North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk border region.
North Korea’s troop dispatch poses a threat to escalate the almost three-year war. South Korea, the U.S., and their partners also harbor concerns about potential concessions Russia might make to North Korea in return. The potential transfer of sensitive technology from Russia, which could enhance North Korea’s already advancing nuclear and missile programs, would be a significant cause for alarm for the U.S. and its allies.
North Korea and Russia have been steadily strengthening their military and other forms of cooperation. South Korea’s spy agency reported last month that North Korea had sent more than 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles, and other conventional weapons to Russia since August 2023, aimed at replenishing Russia’s dwindling weapons stockpiles.
