Putin Meets North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, Expresses Gratitude for North Korean Troops

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, who is currently visiting the country, TASS news agency reported on July 19 (local time).

Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, stated in a briefing regarding the meeting that "President Putin expressed his gratitude once again to the North Korean leadership for their assistance in the special military operation (the war in Ukraine)."

He added that President Putin emphasized, "The contributions of the North Korean military in supporting our forces will never be forgotten in our country."

President Putin also asked Foreign Minister Choe to "convey his warm regards to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un," Peskov explained.

TASS reported that President Putin said he "greatly values the deep mutual understanding built with Chairman Kim."

President Putin highly evaluated the diplomatic relations between Russia and North Korea, to which Foreign Minister Choe responded that "Chairman Kim has reaffirmed his strategic focus on comprehensively developing relations with Russia," according to Peskov.

This marks Foreign Minister Choe's first visit to Russia in approximately nine months, since October of last year.

Given that Choe's visit comes at a time without any clear occasion such as a multilateral conference or a major anniversary, it has sparked speculation that it may be a "preliminary coordination" for a visit to Russia by Chairman Kim Jong-un.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.