North Korea will always stand with Russia, Kim Jong Un tells President Putin

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that it is an unshakable will of the government and of my own steadfastly to carry on the Korea-Russia relations

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country will always stand with Moscow, state media reported on Thursday. In a message for Russia Day, a patriotic holiday celebrating Russia's independence, Kim called Putin his "dearest comrade" and praised their bilateral relations as a "genuine relationship between comrades-in-arms," KCNA reported.

In a message for Russia Day, celebrating Russia's independence, Kim Jong Un called Putin his "dearest comrade" (Reuters File)

"It is an unshakable will of the government of the DPRK and of my own steadfastly to carry on the DPRK-Russia relations," Kim was quoted as saying. The DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

KCNA reported on Wednesday that Kim had sent congratulations on Russia Day to Putin. Earlier this year, Pyongyang for the first time confirmed that it had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine under orders from leader Kim Jong Un after months of silence.