The government said it is closely monitoring the recent visit of Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu to North Korea, where he met with regime leader Kim Jong-un.

In a regular briefing Monday, Ministry of Unification spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam said Shoigu’s visit to North Korea on Friday, just four days after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko visited the country, was unusual considering the timing and schedule.

The government explained that although Russia and North Korea have not disclosed details of their talks, it is possible that important agreements were made.

North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Shoigu delivered a letter to the North’s leader from Russian President Vladimir Putin and agreed to the unconditional implementation of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed in June last year.

Shoigu previously visited North Korea in July 2023 and September last year, and major diplomatic issues between the two countries were concluded after each visit, including Pyongyang-Moscow summit talks and the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.