Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party of Korea, reported on Friday that the North Korean Embassy in Russia held a commemorative banquet on Sunday to mark the first anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between North Korea and Russia. The event took place following the earlier celebrations in Pyongyang.
According to the report, the banquet was held at the North Korean Embassy in Moscow on Monday, commemorating the historic summit between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Russian Federation, as well as the signing of the treaty.
Attendees included Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrey Rudenko, and representatives from various government bodies such as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federation Council, and the State Duma. Officials from the Russia–DPRK Friendship and Cultural Cooperation Association also took part. North Korean Ambassador to Russia, Sin Hong-chol, was also present.
In his speech, Kozlov highlighted that the treaty represented a significant milestone in bilateral relations, emphasizing that its importance lay not in the legal status of the document itself but in its embodiment of mutual respect, trust, and a shared aspiration for prosperity. He reaffirmed that cooperation between the two countries would be strengthened in all areas and that the outlined tasks would be thoroughly fulfilled.
Rudenko noted that the reality of the liberation of Kursk proved the treaty’s historical inevitability. He praised the heroism and bravery demonstrated by North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian troops, defending Russia as if it were their own country during the war in Ukraine.
The newspaper also mentioned that North Korea’s representative offices in Vladivostok and Khabarovsk held commemorative banquets on Friday, June 20, to mark the anniversary of the treaty.
Earlier, on Thursday, June 19, a banquet was hosted at the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang to commemorate the signing of the treaty. The event was attended by senior North Korean officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, Party Secretary Jo Yong Won, Defense Minister No Kwang Chol, and Kim Yo Jong, Deputy Director of the Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, signed on June 19 last year during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang, established mutual commitments, including Article 4, which stipulates that if either party suffers armed aggression, the other will provide immediate military assistance. North Korea has cited this treaty as the basis for providing military support to Russia, reportedly including the deployment of North Korean troops.