Overview
- North Korea’s KCNA reported Thursday that Kim Jong Un received Putin’s New Year greeting on December 18.
- The message, as carried by KCNA, praised the “heroic” entry of Korean People’s Army soldiers into battles to “liberate” Russia’s Kursk region and cited subsequent work by Korean engineers in Russia.
- KCNA said Putin called the past year especially significant for Moscow–Pyongyang relations and referenced their comprehensive strategic partnership treaty.
- According to the report, Putin voiced confidence in expanding cooperation across political, trade, economic, humanitarian and other areas, and in coordinating on regional and international issues.
- The published account relies on state media sourcing, and the reported DPRK military participation in the Kursk region has not been corroborated independently in these reports.