On the 4th (local time), Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu met with North Korean Chairperson Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang to discuss the situation regarding Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula.
The RIA Novosti news agency reported that, according to a Telegram from the Russian Embassy in North Korea, Secretary Shoigu was welcomed by the Chairperson and that the conversation took place in a friendly and mutually understanding atmosphere.
The Russian Embassy in North Korea explained that Secretary Shoigu and Chairperson Kim engaged in discussions on various areas of cooperation and exchanged opinions regarding the Ukraine crisis and the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
Secretary Shoigu visited North Korea that day for a "short working visit" and returned to Russia immediately after, the Russian Embassy in North Korea noted. This visit occurred on the inauguration day of President Lee Jae-myung, and it is anticipated that future inter-Korean relations and the outlook for the Korean Peninsula situation were discussed.
Secretary Shoigu, a close aide to President Vladimir Putin, also visited North Korea on March 21, where he delivered a letter from President Putin to Chairperson Kim, and returned to Pyongyang two months later.
Earlier, the Russian Security Council stated that Secretary Shoigu would discuss the implementation of certain aspects of the "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty" (North Korea-Russia treaty) between Russia and North Korea, and that they would also "memorialize the North Korean warriors who aided in the liberation of the Kursk region of Russia."