North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (C) arrives to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia. Photo by VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV / EPA
May 31 (Asia Today) -- North Korea and Russia are displaying a rapidly deepening strategic alignment as Pyongyang backs Moscow's war in Ukraine and Russia pushes back against international pressure over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
The moves came as South Korea, the United States and Japan emphasized trilateral security cooperation at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
North Korea's state media said Sunday that Ri Chang-dae, director of the State Intelligence Service, attended an international security meeting in Russia on Thursday, marking his first publicly reported activity in the role.
Ri called for each country to strengthen its "self-defense capability" and expand "solidarity and cooperation" with related countries. He also criticized what North Korea describes as double standards in international politics.
