North Korea’s top diplomat departs for Russia amid deepening military ties with Moscow

North Korea's top diplomat departed for Russia on her official visit amid deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and her delegation left Pyongyang by air on Monday to pay an official visit to the Russian Federation, state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The agency did not provide further details or the agenda for her visit to Russia.

However, the visit by Pyongyang's top diplomat follows claims from South Korea, the US, NATO, and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that North Korean troops have arrived in Russia to assist Moscow in its ongoing war against Kyiv.

On Monday, the Pentagon stated that North Korea had sent around 10,000 troops to eastern Russia to fight in Ukraine within "the next several weeks."

Choe is also expected to discuss the potential visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Moscow in the coming months, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News.

The Russian embassy in Pyongyang, on its Facebook page, said that the visit is part of a "strategic dialogue" agreed upon between the leaders of the two countries during a summit in June 2024.

During President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea, the two sides signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement and vowed to provide each other military assistance "without delay" if either is attacked by a third country.