North Korea ratified a defense treaty with Russia, state media reported Tuesday, formally deepening military cooperation that has seen Pyongyang send thousands of troops to help Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea ratified a major defense treaty with Russia stipulating mutual military aid, the North’s state media reported Tuesday, as the U.S., South Korea and Ukraine say North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

SEOUL, Nov 12 (Reuters) - North Korea has ratified a mutual defence treaty with Russia signed by the two countries' leaders in June, which calls for each side to come to the other's aid in case of an armed attack, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

North Korea is boasting that its new intercontinental ballistic missile is “the world’s strongest,” a claim seen as pure propaganda after experts assessed it as being too big to be useful in a war situation.

With his troops poised for a major offensive in Russia, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has much to gain and little to lose for the blood price his soldiers look likely to pay on the front lines against Ukraine,

North Korea ratified a major defense treaty with Russia. What do both sides hope to gain? Japan's PM survived a rare parliamentary vote. How will he tackle the country's sluggish economy? What do I expect to come from COP29,