North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called 2025 a moment of special significance in relations between Pyongyang and Moscow, highlighting the role of both countries in a “sacred common cause,” specifically referring to the war in Ukraine. In a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark the New Year, Kim acknowledged the recent strengthening of bilateral ties and asserted that the alliance between North Korea and Russia represents a legacy that will last for generations. This was reported by the official North Korean news agency KCNA, as well as the international press.
In the message published by KCNA and reported by the media, Kim Jong Un expressed his full willingness, together with the entire North Korean people and his government, to maintain support and solidarity with Russia on the international stage. The letter addressed to Putin emphasizes: “Dear Comrade Vladimir Putin, I believe that the current alliance between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Russia (…) is a valuable common heritage that will last forever, not only in the current era, but also for posterity, generation after generation (…). I reiterate that I, the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the entire Korean people will always stand by the brotherly Russian people.” According to KCNA, Kim justifies this support with a desire to maintain a “sincere alliance” between the two nations characterized by strategic cooperation and joint resistance to external pressure.
The media explained that Kim recognized 2025 as a “truly significant year” for consolidating bilateral relations. During this time, Pyongyang and Moscow “wrote a great biography of the alliance through complete and selfless mutual support (…)” and referred to the common challenges arising from the conflict in Ukraine. The North Korean leader noted that ties had strengthened in the final days of 2025 in a cooperation described as “the most sincere alliance in which blood, life and death are shared in the same trench.”
Kim’s message also addresses the integrity of the established nexus and the impossibility of third actors weakening the unity between the people of North Korea and Russia. In this sense, he declared: “Now no one can destroy the relations between the people of the two countries and their unity,” justifying the “just aspirations” that, in his opinion, are aimed at “putting history in order.”
The message addressed to Putin by Kim Jong Un not only praised political and strategic relations, but also reserved words of personal appreciation for the Russian leader. “I have always been very proud to write and write together with you, my dear friend, the great history of DPRK-Russia relations. Dear Comrade Putin, justice, truth, victory and glory will always be with you and your Russia,” the North Korean leader said, as reported by the Pyongyang State Agency and published by the international press. Kim concluded his message by extending his best wishes to Putin for the coming year, especially for “his important work in defending Russia’s dignity and interests on the occasion of the auspicious New Year 2026.”
Kim’s reaffirmation of the strength of the bond between Pyongyang and Moscow comes in an international context marked by sanctions and pressure against both the North Korean regime and the Russian government, particularly in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. According to KCNA, the New Year’s message portrays bilateral relations as an “alliance inherited and blessed by history” and reiterates the intention of both parties to maintain coordination in the face of adverse scenarios from external actors.
According to the publications, Kim emphasized the importance of the “blood alliance” as a central element of the narrative that underpins the current understanding between the two countries. Thus, the letter is part of a series of diplomatic and rhetorical conversations aimed at reaffirming the willingness to cooperate in the face of what they see as international interests and constraints that conflict with their national goals. The various statements collected by KCNA and reproduced in international media noted that the North Korean government continues to support Moscow and reaffirms the depth of cooperation mechanisms between governments.
North Korea’s official media has reported extensively on this message and views the letter not just as a year-end protocol act, but as a statement of intent regarding the immediate future of bilateral relations. Both the content of the letter and the context in which it was written reinforce the strategy of both countries to present themselves as allies in the face of the challenges they face in the current international situation.
About The Author
