(LEAD) N.K. foreign minister leaves for Russia amid deepening military cooperation

▲ This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 19, 2023, shows North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui (R) and her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, talking to each other at a banquet held the previous day to celebrate his visit to Pyongyang. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) NK delegation-Russia

(LEAD) N.K. foreign minister leaves for Russia amid deepening military cooperation

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in last 2 paras)

By Kim Soo-yeon

SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has left for Russia for an official visit at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, state media reported Monday, amid deepening military cooperation between the two nations.

Choe is scheduled to visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday at Lavrov's invitation, and her delegation was seen off at the airport Sunday by Vice Foreign Minister Pak Chol-jun and Russia's Charge d'Affaires ad Interim Vladimir Topeha, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Her visit appears to be a reciprocal trip following Lavrov's visit to Pyongyang in October and comes amid suspicions that North Korea has provided weapons to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine in return for Russia's technical assistance for Pyongyang's weapons programs.

Pyongyang and Moscow have denied any arms deals so far.

Last week, the White House said Russia recently fired additional North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine following earlier such launches on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2.

Also drawing attention is the issue of whether Choe and Lavrov will discuss a possible trip by Putin to North Korea, as the Russian leader accepted Kim's invitation to visit the North during their summit at Russia's Vostochny spaceport in September last year.

In April 2019, the North's state media said Putin had accepted Kim's proposal to visit Pyongyang during their first summit in Vladivostok. But at that time, the Kremlin did not confirm it, nor did Putin visit the North.

At a year-end party meeting, the North's leader vowed to strengthen solidarity with countries standing against the United States. He is seeking to bolster ties with China and Russia vis-a-vis the strengthening of security cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

South Korea's unification ministry warned against "illegal" cooperation of the suspected arms trade between Pyongyang and Moscow following the Kim-Putin summit.

"North Korea and Russia should be clearly aware that (the international community) is keeping close tabs on Choe's visit to Russia," Koo Byoung-sam, spokesperson at the ministry, told a regular press briefing.

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