Seoul, 5 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) - A treaty on a comprehensive strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia has come into force, Pyongyang's state-controlled news agency KCNA reported on Thursday.

The agency said that the treaty came into force after the ratification documents were exchanged in Moscow on Wednesday.

The agreement takes the military cooperation between the two countries to a new level and stipulates that they will provide mutual assistance should either country be attacked.

Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov had previously said that the partnership is aimed at reducing the risk of war in north-east Asia, also stating that cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang in the military field was actively expanding.

KCNA said that the treaty functions as a "legal framework for realizing the far-reaching plan of the state leadership of the two countries."

The Moscow-Pyongyang partnership under the agreement "will be a powerful security device" promoting the wellbeing of both North Korean and Russians, as well as helping regional stability and pushing for an "independent and just multi-polarized world order without domination, subjugation and hegemony," KCNA said.

The treaty comes into force as North Korea has recently provided thousands of soldiers to support Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Western intelligence.

Before this, the country was already said to be providing Moscow with large amounts of ammunition and ballistic missiles.

The treaty had been signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 19 in Pyongyang.

Photo: EPA