Top DPRK leader meets visiting senior Russian official

PYONGYANG -- Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), met with visiting Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on defending the common core interests of the two countries, items of mutual cooperation in different fields as well as the regional and international situation, said the report, adding that the discussions confirmed the same stance of the two sides.

The DPRK will "unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues including the Ukrainian issue, and responsibly observe the articles of the treaty between the DPRK and Russia," Kim was quoted by the KCNA as saying.

Sergei conveyed special thanks of the Russian leadership to the DPRK's soldiers who participated in the operations in Russia's Kursk region.

The host and the guest also expressed the will of the two countries' leaderships to continue to dynamically expand and develop the bilateral relations into a powerful and comprehensive strategic partnership, said the report.