Russian Intel Chief Discusses Regional Security with N Korea

"Substantive talks took place in Pyongyang with DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] Minister of State Security Ri Chang-dae. The sides discussed essential international issues, regional security, and closer Russian-North Korean interaction amid external forces’ attempts to intensify pressure," the SVR press office said in a statement.

According to TASS, the negotiations "took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere and demonstrated the unity of approaches to the issues discussed".

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported earlier on Thursday that a delegation from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service led by SVR Chief Naryshkin had visited Pyongyang on March 25-27. As North Korea’s state-run news agency reported, the sides "informed each other about their opinions on the current international and regional situations around the Korean Peninsula and Russia and discussed widely and substantively the issues of further strengthening cooperation in the wake of intensifying spying and plotting moves by the hostile forces."

Russia and North Korea intensified bilateral exchanges in the second half of 2023. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia in September. He held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on September 13. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov paid a visit to North Korea in October 2023.