It is announced that during his visit on March 25-27, the head of the SVR of the Russian foreign intelligence service, Sergey Naryshkin, met with the Minister of State Security of North Korea, Ri Chang Dae. According to KCNA, the two officials discussed the possibility of strengthening cooperation “to deal with the ever-intensifying espionage and conspiracy activities of hostile forces.”
Both Russia and North Korea are currently subject to numerous international sanctions. Moscow got them because of its invasion of Ukraine, and Pyongyang got them because of its nuclear weapons tests. Last September, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a summit in the Russian Far East, during which Kim Jong Un said ties with Moscow were his country’s “top priority.”
Later, the US reported that Pyongyang had started supplying Moscow with weapons. At the time, South Korea said earlier this month that North Korea had already sent about 7,000 containers of weapons to Russia since last July for use in the war against Ukraine. Washington and experts have said Pyongyang is seeking a range of military aid in return, including satellite technology.
