Book Choi Sun-hee, "Until Russia's Victory Day..."Continuing the nuclear strengthening line"

[Anchor]
As the North Korean military's dispatch of troops to Ukraine has emerged as an international issue, the heads of foreign affairs of Russia and North Korea have reaffirmed close cooperation between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Choi Sun-hee emphasized that he would stay with Russia until Victory Day and made it clear that he would continue his nuclear strengthening line on the Korean Peninsula.

Reporter Jeong Yu-shin's report.

[Reporter]
On the 1st of local time, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Sun-hee held a three-hour meeting in Moscow.

In all of his public remarks, Foreign Minister Choi Sun-hee delivered a message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un referring to the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

[Choi Sun-hee, North Korean Foreign Minister: (Kim Jong-un) said there is a risk that the balance of power could be broken on the Korean Peninsula at any time.]

The U.S. and South Korea claimed their justification for nuclear force, saying they are conducting nuclear simulation drills on the Korean Peninsula using strategic bombers.

Earlier, North Korea announced that the missile it test-fired the previous day was the new ICBM, the Hwasong-19.

[Choi Sun-hee, North Korean Foreign Minister: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has confirmed that it will never change its course of strengthening nuclear force.]

North Korea and Russia have strengthened their solidarity with the situation of the war in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Choi described the war as Russia's "holy war" and promised to be with Russia until Victory Day.

[Choi Sun-hee, North Korean Foreign Minister: I have no doubt that we will achieve victory, and I affirm that we will always be with our Russian comrades until the day of victory.]


Labrov thanked North Korea for its support, saying that relations between North Korea and Russia have reached unprecedented levels.

[Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: With the special interest of President Putin and Chairman Kim Jong-un, relations between the two countries have reached unprecedented levels in the past few years.]

Although the public remarks did not directly mention the issue of sending North Korean troops, they are likely to have coordinated a joint response to international opposition.

In the meantime, the U.K. also said that more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers have arrived in Russia, following the U.S., and many are heading to Kursk.

The British Prime Minister's Office urged North Korea to stop sending troops immediately, saying it was an act of escalation.

Following the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia, the U.N. Security Council will also discuss North Korea's launch of a new ICBM on the 4th.

This is YTN Jeong Yu-shin.