North Korea, Russia agree to immediately offer military help in event of war

North Korea and Russia agreed to provide immediate military assistance if the other side faced armed aggression, under a pact their leaders signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first visit in 24 years.

The pledge is seen as the revival of a mutual defence agreement under a 1961 treaty adopted by the Cold War allies that was annulled in 1990 when the Soviet Union established diplomatic ties with South Korea.

The agreement for a “comprehensive strategic partnership” signed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday is one of the highest-profile moves in Asia by Moscow in years.

“If either side faces an armed invasion and is in a state of war, the other side will immediately use all available means to provide military and other assistance in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and the laws of each country,” Article 4 of the agreement says.

Article 51 of the UN Charter provides for the right of a member country to take individual or collective self-defence actions.

The pledge by the leaders of the two countries, which are facing increasing international isolation, comes amid growing concern among the United States and its Asian allies over how much Russia would support North Korea, the only country to have tested a nuclear weapon this century.

Kim echoed Putin’s statement explicitly linking their deepening ties to fighting the “hegemonic and imperialist” policies of the West and the US in particular, including its support for Ukraine.

The agreement also said neither side would sign any treaty with a third country that infringes on the interests of the other and will not allow its territory to be used by any country to harm the other’s security and sovereignty, state media KCNA said.

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